Before moving into our current house, I was a very organized person. Everything had a place and there was an exact method to my cleaning process (my mom taught me well) but when you have other house guests that do not share those organizational and cleaning skills (my grandmother had her own way of doing things and Anthony caught on shortly after moving in together years ago), it becomes tiring to keep up with someone else's constant mess. It definitely has prepared me for a toddler who leaves cheerios in every nook and cranny however it also allows me to teach Sophia at an early age how to pick up after yourself and put it back once you finished playing with something (we have been doing this since she was born) especially since she is at the age of copying everything mommy is doing. 

But what happens when things do not have a place to go? I have boxes in our garage from our move from FOUR years ago that I still have no idea where to put the contents in those boxes. I also have two boxes in my coat closet, one is my craft stuff and the other is my books and photo albums. We use to have shelves at our old house but this house we do not so there they all sit. I never had a proper space for my craft items so they have remained in bags or boxes even before the move but thinking of organizing it gives me a headache and I have been avoiding it all together.

So here I am on my journey of the magic of tidying up. There are two steps: declutter and find where to put what you keep. However, you have to declutter first. Easy. But before you begin to declutter, Marie asks you to ask yourself: what type of lifestyle do you dream.

Most bloggers rave how they were able to find a French provincial dresser for such a low price in a thrift store or on craigslist. While I would love to say I was able to do the same and only spend $50 or so on such a great vintage piece, I can't. I've read all types of Craigslist tips and tricks and most of them come down to being patient and persistent and you'll eventually come across a great piece for a great price. 

One inspiration that has been in my head for a few years now is painting furniture but I have yet to bite the bullet. Maybe I'm late on this trend but I always see a ton of pieces painted white and now other colors although I am more attracted to the white painted furniture than anything. About a year or so ago I started debating about painting the buffet cabinet I received from my grandmother.


I was having a major debate because I love the white furniture in so many other people's houses but this piece I have is an antique. And yeah I know the distress trend is hot right now as well and I love that trend too but what I also love is a good piece of dark wood furniture. While I may jump on the trend to paint other antique furniture in my house (like maybe the dining table), I am leaving the heirloom pieces alone and honestly they look better as is. 

All this to say I am taking longer to decorate my house for two reasons; the biggest reason: budget. And the second is I want to be sure I decorate our house to my mix-match style that fits our home. What looks good in your home may not look good in mine and vice versa so I wanna take it slow but manly because I don't have the money. Just keeping it real.

What is your home decor style? Do you lean to one style or are you a hot mess like me and love a mixture of this and that?

If you follow me on Instagram, you know the nursery is a bit of a mess since it is hosting all of our baby shower decorations and such. Despite that, we were able to make a little progress with setting up the crib and styling it with Little Love's bedding.

I don't know about you other mommas out there but just having this set up makes it all the more real. I love passing by her room and seeing the crib, I daydream of what it will be like for her to finally be here. Anthony and I will even go in the room some evenings and just sit on the floor and chat. It also makes me excited that my vision for this room is coming together.

The quilt was a custom order from Ink and Thread Quilts. Melinda was a pleasure to work with and the quilt came out better than I could have imagined. I sent in my inspiration picture and she went straight to work sending me updates and finalizing fabric color decisions. 


Does this pillow look familiar to you?


It was apart of the original guest bedroom design and we were lucky enough that it also fits into Little Love's nursery design. The colors match perfectly with the colors in our quilt. We purchased it from Touchee Feelee. Euodia, the shop owner, was inspired by the scales of a salmon fish when she created this design and she did a wonderful job.

Originally we wanted one of those really large giraffes for Little Love's room but those are quite expensive so when we saw this giraffe on sale at Hobby lobby we picked it up immediately as our very first purchase for Little Love. 



It also has sentimental meeting since it is a TY beanie baby. As a kid my grandmother would always gift me with one for all occasions. I actually have my collection in the attic and plan to go through some of them to hand down to Little Love.

So it may not be much progress but at least we have something done. I am currently working on a DIY art project that will be displayed above the crib [UPDATE: fabric kite tutorial here] and again if you follow me on Instagram, you already got a peek as to what is is I am working on. You can also look for my #littlelovesnursery on Instagram for live updates.