The Elf on the Shelf

Many of us have that dreaded Elf on The Shelf & cringe when it's time to take it out, simply because it's one more thing to add to the never ending to do list. And if you got away from not having one, I applaud you for not starting another crazed fad! I am now committed to the next 6 plus years of moving an elf & making more lies...  I got suckered into the elf 4 years ago, when my son came home from school asking where his was! Ummm, we didn't have one! He kept talking about how great it was & all of the funny things this elf does. Out of curiosity, I googled it and there it was, a $29.95 freaky looking elf doll that flies to the North Pole and reports to Santa each night.  So of course bought it & the elf made it's grand apperance in our home. The first year, I did exactly what you're supposed to and just moved it to a new shelf. That's what the book said to do, so that's what I did. My kids would come home with so n so's elf did this n that. Well.. Thanks to Pinterest and all the Pinterest crazed moms & all the crazy elf ideas, I guess mine was boring! Please note: Once your elf starts having crazy & wild nights, you are now committed to dedicating countless hours of Internet & Pinterest surfing for more ideas because once you do it, you're now locked in! So here's why my elf just sits on the shelf and I don't feel bad about it:

Yes, let's have a pillow fight and throw feathers all over the house! What!? Do you know how much feather inserts cost?!! NO, I will not be shredding my pillows for 3 minutes of entertainment, just so I can clean it all up. Draw on your picture frames with a marker and make funny faces, these are the EXACT things I tell my kids NOT to do, drawing on walls, furniture and picture frames is strictly forbidden!! Dump flour all over your kitchen counters and make elf angels! Ummm about no... So now another mess I'll have to clean up so my kids can laugh for all of 3 seconds and now want breakfast made on the counter full of flour and now I'll have to clean it up before my first sip of coffee. Make a tiny handmade fishing rod, sprinkle gold fish in your toilet and strategically place your elf over the toilet with his nifty fishing rod. I can see this now... Wake up in the middle of the night, forget the elf is on the toilet and now well, someone just rained on his parade, literally. No thanks to that. Throw TP all over the house, people TP is expensive, I will not waste a roll to just throw it around!! TP the tree and move all the ornaments around. I just spent 3 hours decorating it, yes... let me now destroy my tree and waste more TP. Ugh. Have your elf bake cookies, yea because when am I doing that so they don't know it was me? I am not baking 3am in the morning so the elf can bring his magical cookies from the North Pole the next morning then I have to tell them, well you can look at them but you're not eating cookies 6:30 in the morning for breakfast, I'm sure that'll go over really well, said no sane parent ever, and it'll be one more battle I'll have to fight so no thanks to that.  Getting them dressed alone is a battle all in itself. Printing a million pictures of the elf and placing it in every frame in your house. No comment. Really?! Ink is expensive too and like who has time to change every photo to an elf then change it all back.. Again no thanks. The elf taking selfies with your sleeping kids then printing them out to show them in the morning, yea because like sneaking in their rooms playing Tooth Fairy to put money under their pillow isn't dangerous enough and putting your life at risk to slide a buck or two under their pillows, I'm definitely not lurking around holding the elf using a flash taking pics and risking them waking up! That's just insanity!!!

So don't feel bad if your elf doesn't have crazy and wild nights! Those destructive elves must be from the South Pole, ours are nice, little polite elves from the North Pole and Santa doesn't like naughty elves or kids! So when I nicely place my Elf on the shelf and go to bed for the night, remember there are parents out there ripping apart pillows, making elf fishing rods and throwing flour all over their kitchens and I'm snug and warm in my bed in my nice clean house. It is OK to just put your elf on the shelf!!  And remember, have fun moving your elf to different shelves and every once in awhile if you're feeling crazy that night, just throw him in the tree, my kids love finding him just "hanging" out on my nicely placed ornaments😉

Fall & Halloween Decor

D'sHey friends!! I haven't blogged in awhile, so wanted to share some Halloween & Fall decor with you! And a few styling tips & staple home decor pieces for the holidays!

I always start with a blank slate when decorating for a holiday. I remove things that aren't staples, meaning they are seasonal or more specific to a season. My bigger purchases are always neutral & I know they will work with any theme or decor I pick. And I change my style & accessories a lot!!

I love layering, whether its a shelf or a table. I'm all about layers, textures & patterns. The best way to add color & texture to a room is thru pillows & throw blankets. And boy do I have a lot! They really are the easiest & most inexpensive way to change the whole entire look of a room. I also love trays. I have lots of those too & they work everywhere! On a coffee table, dining room, kitchen, bathroom & bedroom. I have them in every room to either organize or just to accessorize & make small groupings of things. You can't ever style a tray wrong!! I usually style in a quadrant of four with a square tray. I put accessories in each corner & just move them around until they look right. Round trays are a bit challenging sometimes but I use the same method & usually do a group of 3 with a round tray. Three is always the magic number & just creates an equal balance!

Let's talk about shelf styling! Its one of my favorites! Shelves can be so challenging. I get asked a lot about shelf styling, so here are some pointers. When styling a shelf, try not to cram it. I know its SO HARD!! I love accessories but I hate over crammed shelves. I also use a pattern when styling shelves &  different  heights. This is more visually appeasing & draws the eye to the whole shelf, not just one. I like to stick with a theme when styling shelves also. Symmetry is always great on a shelf, but if doesn't have to be exact on each side. For example, if I have a picture frame on one shelf, I will place the next one diagonal on the shelf below it, then fill in the spaces with different objects of different heights. Every other shelf I leave about 3 inches or so off the edge. I also leave a few shelves bare with just one bigger accessory, like a tray or a faux flower arrangement. Just so every shelf isn't covered with stuff. Books are awesome for adding height to objects & and are great fillers as well. I love to place an object on top of my books also, just for some interest.  I also love boxes! They store things I'm not using & work great on shelves also! 

So with all those methods, I style my holiday decor the same way. I really try not to over do it with overly themed accessories. I like to keep some of those staple pieces that work all year round, like apothecary jars, lanterns, trays, candle sticks, boxes, books, cakestands & cloches. (The taller looking cake stand lids) Also, remember cake stands aren't just for cakes! I use mine for just about everything from picture frames, candles, and flowers, they add great height to any vignette also! OK so here are some pictures of some holiday decor & some of the methods of styling I talked about! And I shared a few pictures of the same accessories styled in different ways for more ideas!

Thank you for reading!! Hope you have. a great day!!

Spring Home Tour!

Hi Everyone! I decided to do a mini spring home tour & show you a few different areas that got a Spring makeover. I don't like to create too many crazy set ups around my house. For one who feels like cleaning it & two I have to be mindful of kids, like lighting candles in certain areas & too many breakables within reach. Not that my kids touch things, but accidents do happen and who wants shattered glass everywhere or to get hurt!  So when decorating my own home and others, I am always mindful of kids and animals :) I usually just like to add small touches of the holiday or season. When I think of Spring, I immediately think of flowers, green grass, bright colors & warmth! I always decorate in color! I am just too much a color lover to stay neutral. I do however get tired of it and like simpler things too. That's why I stick to neutral big purchases like furniture. As much as I'd love a turquoise chair, I know I would be over it relatively quickly! So here are a few areas around my house! Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog & have a great day!!

Living/Dining Room Transformation!

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing an incredible room makeover on a $300 budget! My client contacted me saying she wanted a new, fresh & clean appearance in these rooms. She felt overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin. After meeting with Gina, we discussed what she wanted in the rooms, special pictures & other personal affects & what could go. She also stated the rooms lacked accessories and she had no idea what exactly she wanted or how to style it. (Please note: homeowners are responsible for painting & any other repairs to the room before my services begin) 

We decided to make two gallery walls with special pictures she had picked out prior to my arrival. I styled two completely different walls for her with all of her pictures so everything is on 2 walls instead of scattered throughout the rooms. I wanted to give her a more updated, stylish way to display her family pictures and gallery walls are a perfect way to do this. I updated a few things in the room like a new lamp, ottomans (which double as storage), pillows, artwork, a clock & added lots of turquoise & silver accessories per her request. My main goal was to work with what Gina already had as well. She had a lot of cute signs & different items that I was able to repurpose and give a new life to! So let's take a look at the before and afters!!