{ HOUSE CRASH | Jen's Relaxing Home! }

I stumbled across Jennifer's blog not too long ago and I fell in LOVE with how she decorates her home. It all feels very clean, airy, sophisticated, and yet lived in. I hate when you look at photos of peoples homes and think that there's no way people actually LIVE there. One thing I always look at are the couches, could you throw yourself down and have a good nap there, if yes then I will look further if not then I think the "house tour" is ridiculous and I quit looking. I don't want to look at a home that I cant imagine a family living there and enjoying it and all the pretty-ness ha!

It's been a while since I did a HOUSE CRASH so I thought since I've been catching up on all of Jennifer's pretty spaces, I would share with you too! These photos are actually of their old house - they are currently renovating a new to them house and I am really excited to see what she comes up with for the new house since I really like the old one so much plus her inspiration pages are great.

This entryway is perfect. I love the mirror and the table (did you notice the dipped legs?).

 

 

Their bedroom is very cozy feeling. I have plans to do an accent wall as they did behind their bed. I love everything about this room.

 

More of their gorgeous home tour can be found here.

 

 

The nursery has such a calming feel about it. I am in love with the colors she picked too.






I love getting inspiration from other people and what they do in their homes. Jennifer's home is beautiful and I am looking forward to reading more about their current home's renovations! Click the link above for more photos of her home.
 
Happy Monday to you!


{ Farmhouse 38 | HOUSE CRASH }

I am a blog reading junkie. They should really have a group for people like me, addicts to looking at other peoples homes and stuff for inspiration that I'll probably never do myself so its mostly just a big time suck but I LOVE IT! I cant look away. Wont look away.

There are a few blogs that I read almost everyday due to the amazing content these peeps throw out. I mean, seriously, I don't know how they do it. #Jealous. 

Farmhouse38 is one of those ones that I go to often. Not only is the home renovation that they've done a.m.a.z.i.n.g but her creativity is off the charts and her photos tell all. The front of her home is adorable especially when you click down one more photo and see what it looked like when they bought it.

So cute right?!

 Not only did the outside get an amazing transformation but the inside is pretty great too. Check out their awesome kitchen below.

You'll have to go to her page to see what the before pics look like, it was a major renovation and the after photos are awesome!

 I love the cabinets that they have, and who doesn't love a farmhouse sink and check out that DIY back splash they did below. That is giving me some ideas...

LOVE those bookshelves along the stairwell! Such a great use of space. And the painted stairs are pretty cool. Might have to do something like that for my basement steps.

I love her style of decorating. Very farmhouse but yet modern with a very cozy feeling.

I love her color choices inside and outside too. Take a look at their chicken coop below. Those are some pretty lucky chicks they've got! I want this in my own backyard, like yesterday. Now to talk Mark into it. Getting bunnies and kittens about did him in, so I'm hoping he'll be cool with chickens... Put in a good word for me will ya?

You can read all about her farmhouse coop adventures here! Her yard is pretty spectacular. So much cooler than I can dream of mine ever being like. I just don't have that creativity in me to think of creating spaces like she does. What an amazing talent for sure!

Do you guys get inspired when looking at other peoples homes? I clearly do, hence bringing you the "House Crash" series. I get all proud and excited when I see a home that screams awesomeness. There are millions of houses out there but it really takes a knack and talent to throw things together with our individual tastes and styles to make a house a cozy home. The things that go in our homes don't need to be pricey and top of the line, it can be vintage, garage sale finds or hand-me-downs and still be awesome and that's when I get all proud of someone when they can really pull it off using their talents, creativity, and imaginations!  While I am still trying to figure out exactly what my "style" really is, I will continue to be addicted to home design blogs, seeking daily inspiration for my own home!

{ House Crash // Childhood Table Made New Again }

It's been awhile since I did a House Crash, so with the holiday tomorrow and being that most of us will be gathered around a table at some point during the day or over the weekend, I figured this would be a good one to share with you all. My sister's sister-in-law (did you follow that;)) has been so kind to share her story of her cherished table at her home here in Michigan and what cool story it is.

 

 

i have wanted a new dining table for awhile. i knew i wanted round + white with some different chairs. but was having trouble coming up with something reasonable. i was talking to my mom one day, and told her it was too bad she sold the table we had growing up because it would have been perfect!

well. lo and behold, she reached out to the people that she sold it to (they were friends) and they still had it. the only problem was, it didn't have the original chairs, the leaves, and it was taken apart, stripped, and sanded. i was thrilled. like seriously thrilled. they had intended to use it for a different project, but never finished it and were looking to just throw it away. they did alllll the hard work!

 

 

i painted it with the trim paint we had in our basement {free is always good!} i took it to the paint store just to double check with the professionals that it would hold up + they said it should. {so far, wear + tear from two babes and it wipes up great!} the two wood chairs were from target. the blue fabric chairs were a home goods find. i originally saw them + we passed them up. i went back a few weeks later and they were both still there. that NEVER happens at home goods, so i figured it was a sign they were meant to be mine!;) so happy with how it turned out! i think it really makes the space + i love that the table was my moms.:)

 

 I am in love with Abby's decorating style and how cool is it that she gets to have her childhood table in her own home! The kitchen has been called the heart of the home but isn't the table where you spend your time gathered together, eating-playing games-crafting-coloring-debating and everything else in between! What a privilege to have such a great piece of furniture with all those memories just to be able to keep making more of their own with their own family! I'm also drooling over those chair covers of hers. Maybe I'll get lucky one of these days and find some great slip covers for my own chairs! Thank you Abby for showing us your beautiful table and those two little cuties of yours too!!

As I prepare the few things I am making for tomorrow, I am thinking about all that I have to be grateful for this year, good health-healthy, happy and smart kids-a handsome and helpful hubby-the roof over our heads + the food in our bellies-my wonderful friends-our supportive and loving families...I could go on and on and on. With that being said, I also want to say I am so THANKFUL for you-my readers. I appreciate the time you take out of your day to read my ramblings and I am humbled each time someone tells me they enjoy reading my blog! I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, time spent with those you love, reflecting on the things you have to be thankful for.

Tomorrow we plan to eat, drink, and visit with lots of family and then do it all over again on Saturday night. I'm really looking forward to eating baked beans, its one of those things we eat only a few times a year and Thanksgiving is one of those times! What are you looking forward to indulging in over the holiday??

 

{ The Ranch }

Today my house crash is of my own sister's house! I've been excited to show you her before and after's because it looks really really great.

My sister and her hubby affectionately call their home the ranch -hence the title. It's not really a ranch per say...I mean kind of... if you consider lots of acres and chickens and turkeys and apple trees and corn fields a ranch, ok I guess it is kind of a ranch! This home was originally built and owned by my brother-in-law's aunt and uncle, did you follow that? It's a cute house with beautiful land surrounding it. I mean beautiful. If you follow my sister's blog she started writing about their makeover here.

 When they bought the house a couple years ago it was move in ready and they've slowly changed up a few things according to their style, like re-doing a bedroom for their twins, getting new carpet, painting walls and now they have made a pretty dramatic change with new siding, a new porch, new entry doors and a deck removed with big plans in the works for their backyard! The photo above and below are before pictures.

The logs on the house were a lot of upkeep and this year they would have had to strip them and paint them and fill in the chink (the stuff between the logs) for general maintenance -so instead they decided to give their home a whole new updated look which suits their tastes a lot more than the logs.

Although the log home style was gorgeous- I mean who doesn't love a log home, with all the charm and farm feel but the updated version is just as beautiful and will require no maintenance other than general cleaning which is great for them because they spend the majority of their time chasing around their almost two year old twins! Who's got time for log maintenance-right?!

Here's a pic of my darling niece and nephew from their first birthday party. Doesn't get much cuter than that folks! I just love them to pieces and those two crazy cats keep my sister and her hubs on their toes!



Back to the makeover... Here's a snap of the front before.

All those logs had to be ripped off the house. Jared and lots of helpers did that work so they could save some mula in the long run which was a great choice. Why not do as much as you can to save some dough right, at least that's our moto!

They chose vertical vinyl siding for parts of the house, shake siding and regular vinyl siding for other parts. The photo below is of the front of the house (obviously) but this was before the new porch steps and railings were built. You can see they picked a nice dark shade for the vertical siding on the front. 

and here it is with the new steps and porch rails and posts! Beautiful no?! They have plans to stain the new rails, posts and steps but that will be tackled next year.

The stairs got a little wider as did the new posts. They also had a new door installed and side lights as well.

The new door got some pretty paint. I am in LURVE with that color. You may see it pop up in my own house very soon...hint hint...

Here's a side view. This side has all three types of siding. This one is before the new rails and posts.

Here is after. GORGEOUS!

The deck was removed off the back of the house. They have plans to do a large patio. For now they have a few simple steps they are using to enter. They added some new entry lights back here too. They are goose neck style.

It's absolutely beautiful. I know they are really happy with the final results and I am happy that they now have a very manageable, practically no-maintenance home! Not only do they have busy almost two year old twins, but my sister has been struggling for quite some time now with her seizures which she writes about on her blog so they needed to have this update to simply make their lives a little less crazy and it is perfect, what a difference some new siding will make huh?!

Thanks for reading today guys and letting me share my sister's beautiful home with you all!

Happy Hump Day!

{ HOUSE CRASH - FUN FARMHOUSE STYLE }

Shannan's house and blog- Flower Patch FarmGirl are something you dont want to miss. This girl is encouraging and raw and real + her unique and fun farmhouse style is something that I envy.

 

 All over people are making over old junk and calling it their treasures and placing it in thier homes and making thier houses feel lived in and cozy and right. I'm not that kinda gal but I secretly want to be. So this house tour was fun for me to share with all of you and even though it's not exactly MY style of home that I have going on, I still take so much inspiration from these photos. Anyone that can make their home feel calm and cozy is inspiring to me.

 

You can see all the cool things that this girl has to offer over at her blog here.

 

 

 

 

I could see myself sitting down with coffee and a few friends and chatting it up in this living room for hours. It's different but somehow I love it, espcially that chair with those turned legs. Fact is, I swoon over furniture with turned legs.

 

 

 

 

I want one of these book shelf/shoe holding pieces like yesterday! How cool is that?

 

 

 

I like the fun bathroom hooks with letters above

 

 

Check out this kitchen...

 

 

I love the colored island and wood top paired with the white cabinets and subway tile. Modern and farmhouse style combined. 

 

 

 

These white walls with colorful curtains and pops of color throughout the room work well together and in my opinion just lovely!

 

 

Is that not one of the most cozy looking homes you've seen in awhile? Maybe it's not your taste but that's ok becasue that's why there are different styles out there, everyone is different.

 

I like it. A lot. I like to think that my house someday will feel this homey and airy - are those words? You know what I mean, right.

 

Like I said, Shannan's blog is something amazing. You will be encouraged. Maybe even cry a few tears while smiling as you read her words. If you want to read something cute you can see her love story here. This is honest love that she describes and I smiled through my tears as I read it because it reminds me of my own love story in a few ways....

 

So there you go. Another House Tour plus another blog to add to your reading repertoire.

 

I'll be back later this week with an update on the basement. It's getting there and I'm hoping that doing laundry in my own house will be happening real soon!

 



{ House Crash - Vintage + Industrial }

Hey Guys! I am excited to share today's house crash with you. This house is truly original, inspiring and pretty cool to look through. It's totally different than my style but there are so many things that I love about this home that I find myself perusing her house pics over and over!

Welcome to Mandi's house that she shares with her hubby and two daughters. Check out this entry way and that purple chandi with the herringbone painted ceiling...



Crazy fun, right!? So many different styles going on in that small space but it all works together and that is exactly how the rest of her house feels (through the computer screen anyway ;)).

and the living room...



I love the shelves on the wall, all the art work and that pattern of triangles is NOT wallpaper, it was made with a sharpie! Yep.

Check out this little girls AMAZING room



I have kid room jealousy when I look at this room. That tufted headboard, those adorable pillows, that lamp, the wall, ALL.so.cute! Maybe you are looking at it and thinking, whoah, too much, but this screams I'M AN AWESOME KID to me! I completely love it and I can imagine her daughter really loves it too. The other side of the room is just as fun...



that is one lucky girl and one super crafty, awesome momma! That's what I love the most about reading Mandi's blog, she DIY's almost everything and a lot of the items she has in her home are from thrift stores. She has a lot of great tutorials and projects that you can look through too. Click here and it will take you right to her projects page! Just to warn you, you may need a couple of hours of uninterrupted computer time because once you start looking you cant look away!

Here is a view from the kitchen into the dining room. This photo was taken during their kitchen renovation that wasn't completed yet at the time. I love the bold risk of painting black on the dining room walls. I also really like the herringbone pattern in the flooring!



So, what do you guys think?! This girl has some spunk in her style, no?! Did you find yourself inspired?  If you want to see more, you can head over to Mandi's blog and see more of her home and other homes that she has decorated too!

The great thing about reading all these different blogs like I do is there are so many different styles out there, so many different tastes and preferences and ways to do things. It's a great way to find ideas for your home or even just to change up your thinking a little bit sometimes! We get so used to seeing our friend's homes and family's homes and tend to lean toward what we feel is safe but sometimes its just seeing what other people do and how they decorate that gives you that motivation to be bold and do things the way you really love, to think outside of the box, and see things you never thought possible before.

 I am still slowly trying to figure out what it is exactly that I love in terms of styling my own home. Sometimes, I figure it out after I purchase something and put it in the room and go "nope that didn't work out like I thought it would" but sometimes it's the unexpected that really pops in a room and screams "YES! That is what I was going for!"

Now I feel like I need to go hit up the thrift stores to see what kind of treasures I can re-purpose for my home! Thanks for the inspiration ALL the time Mandi!

I hope you guys like these little house tours that I try to do occasionally. I have SO many more houses to show you, some of them are people in my own backyard (not literally, you know, just those folks that are here from the Mitten like me) that I am excited to show you! Like I said before, if you or someone you know has a home that NEEDS to be shown off to us nosey house loving and inspiration craving peeps then be sure to contact me to get on the list!

I am doing a giveaway in the near future so stay tuned for that...coming very soon!

Hope you're having yourself a very happy Hump Day!