New Kitchen Backsplash with Floor & Decor

This post is sponsored by Floor & Decor, but all opinions are my own.

It’s been six years since we moved into our home. When we were building I wanted to upgrade the kitchen backsplash tile, but did not like the builder’s choices and premiums. So we went with a standard option and planned on doing it after we moved in. Well, life happened and it wasn’t until now that we were ready to do it!

Floor & Decor was the first place that came to mind! I remember going there a few years back with my mom to help her pick out new tile for her kitchen. I remember she had such a positive experience, and to this day still loves her tile from Floor & Decor.

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So I went to the Floor & Decor Store in Plano, Texas, and met with the Pro Sales Manager Shelly. I had so many questions and needed lots of direction. Shelly was so wonderful and showed me around the store. I was grateful for her wealth of knowledge!

Shelly suggested we start by going to the Floor & Decor Inspiration Center. Every store has one located at the front of the store. It’s a showroom full of inspirational ideas to help one see how different materials will look together. Each Inspiration Center is staffed with knowledgeable design consultants. At the Plano store Shelly introduced me to Renee, one of the design consultants. Renee shared with me that there is a design consultant on hand seven days a week, and sometimes two or three available during busy days. Design services are free to all shoppers. And it’s very easy to make an appointment. One can call or request a free consultation online! Renee also let me know Floor & Decor offers financing programs - which is a wonderful option.

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As we were walking away from the Inspiration Center to the decorative tile section, Shelly also told me to always look at the signs and labels on each product because they tell you everything you need to know about the product. It tells you price, if it can be used indoors or outdoors and how it’s laid. Once we were in the decorative tile section, I was amazed at the different shapes, textures, and patterns. Floor & Decor has such a wide range of styles and so many top notch in-stock products to choose from! I was just in awe of the gorgeous tile available. They even had tiles with gold inlays that were waterjet cut!

After looking around, I was drawn to the grey marble mosaic tiles, particularly the Carrara White Brick Marble Mosaic 12x12 . I showed Shelly a photo on my phone of my kitchen, to see if she thought the Carrara White brick tile would work. She thought it was a wonderful choice for my kitchen backsplash. We both agreed it would fit well because of the beautiful mix of gray, white, and cream colors that come through with this natural stone. The mosaic would also compliment my existing gray speckled granite countertops and white cabinets. And as a added bonus, I was so pleased with the price! I had looked at other marble tiles online and at other stores, and Floor & Decor definitely had the best prices around! I picked up a sample to bring home with me, as I wanted to double check that it would work in my kitchen. Plus I needed to go home and measure to determine how much product I would need.

So many options of wood tile planks!

So many options of wood tile planks!

With my kitchen backsplash tile picked out, I was super excited and wanted to explore other parts of the store with Shelly. I was truly amazed by the selection and organization of the store! We looked at different types of flooring options such as wood tile planks, laminate, wood vinyl, engineered hardwood, solid wood, and Bamboo products. (Shelly said Bamboo is so trendy right now because it’s used a lot on TV home decorating shows!) I also learned Floor & Decor offers countertops as well, and they come in a variety of materials; quartz, marble, granite, and even butcher block. Seriously, Floor & Decor is a one stop shop for an entire remodel!

I also learned that Floor & Decor has a Pro Services Department. This department is dedicated to builders, realtors, investors, remodelers, owners of rental properties, or anyone that does remodeling for a living. I learned that if you have an order you need filled, the Floor & Decor team can pull your needed items and store it for you, free, up to fourteen days!  

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After having a great time exploring the store, I went home with the 12x12 sample tile, to measure how many square feet my existing kitchen backsplash was. Once I saw that it was going to work perfect, I then called and scheduled an appointment with Renee - so she could help me pick out the other supplies I needed to get ready for installation. A few days later I went in and sat down with Renee and we discussed the tile lay out, supplies, and if I wanted to add any finishing edge pieces to my new backsplash. She suggested doing a pencil trim in marble to match the mosaic tile. She explained to me that a pencil trim is a thin piece of tile placed along the edges of your mosaic tiles. That sounded great to me and together we selected the Carrara White Marble Pencil ½ x 12 to go along with the Carrara White Brick Marble Mosaic 12x12 Mosaic tile I was using. She also helped me choose the grout color, which grout would work best for our space, and how many bags of grout we needed. She knew all the answers to my questions and I felt so confident in my choices. I was ready for the tile to be installed! Having an expert guide me through this process made all the difference! She took the guesswork out of selecting the products and quantities needs.

Carrara White Marble Pencil ½ x 12 used to make the edges look more finished.

Carrara White Marble Pencil ½ x 12 used to make the edges look more finished.

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This before with the old brown tile backsplash and old stove.

This before with the old brown tile backsplash and old stove.

This is the new updated backsplash using the Carrara White Brick Marble Mosaic 12x12 Mosaic tiles and Carrara White Marble Pencil ½ pieces for the finishing edges. I LOVE how it turned out!

This is the new updated backsplash using the Carrara White Brick Marble Mosaic 12x12 Mosaic tiles and Carrara White Marble Pencil ½ pieces for the finishing edges. I LOVE how it turned out!

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After my appointment with Renee, we took home all the boxes of tile and grout, and had the backsplash installed. We couldn't be happier! The tile backsplash looks perfect and changes the entire look of our kitchen! I had the best experience with Floor & Decor and would recommend them to anyone. It made this remodel project go so smoothly!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Floor & Decor. The opinions and text are all mine.

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!

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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!

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 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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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!