Living Room Wall Clock

Hey guys! I bought a few new things for the house online this past week. One of them was a new wall clock for the living room. Our old one had been broken for a while now. No matter how many times I changed the batteries, it always seemed to get "off." So I did a lot of looking online, and a little in the stores, too. In the end, I decided on this one from Target:

I like the distressed wood look that it has, and it was on sale for $35.99 from $40. It's pretty big - 24 inches. Our old clock was 18 inches, but the space is big enough to fit a larger clock, so we decided to try it.

It just came in the mail this week, and we hung it up today! Since it's bigger and heavier than the old one, we had to hang it a little higher and use a reinforcer with the screw.

I'm really digging it!

Here's the old one for comparison:

The new one is a bit trendier, and I feel like since it's larger, it makes more of a statement.

Definitely liking the new look. Happy Saturday, everyone!

Rug Cleaning Adventures

Hi all! I know I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks, but today it's Saturday and I'm home watching Netflix, so thought I would share a recent adventure we had involving rug cleaning. I know, it sounds super exciting. But it actually was a pretty exciting day in our household.

First off, our living room rug has seen better days. I bought it back in 2013 (remember this post?), and Saleen likes to rub and lick on it because of her allergies. In short, it's gotten pretty disgusting for that reason. Yep, having a dog has made us learn "we can't have nice things." I'll spare you the "before cleaning" pictures.

We had gone a while without cleaning the rug, so we decided to rent a Rug Doctor at our local Dollar General. You can rent it for $30, along with buying the solution that goes in it for about $5.

We gave it a good vacuum first. Then Trent filled it with a mix of water and the solution, and I held the edges of the rug in place while he ran the Rug Doctor over it.

While you run it over the rug, it releases the mixture of solution and water, and also has brushes underneath that vibrate while it runs.

We had to continuously refill it with more solution, since it goes through it pretty quickly. And we ran it over the rug row by row, several times to make sure we got the dirt out the best we could.

Once we were done, instead of letting it dry in the living room, we took the rug and the rug pad underneath, outside and hung them on the fence for a little over a day to fully dry out.

We didn't want it to hold onto any water between the rug and the rug pad, since that might leave a little "mustiness" in the air, and no one wants that.. Eww!

I think leaving it out in the sun probably helped bleach the stains a little bit, too. At least we like to think so. So here's the "after":

It's not perfect, but it looks visibly cleaner, for sure! I'd say renting the Rug Doctor was worth it, not to do all the time, but I'd maybe do it once a year or so.

At first I was really hesitant to let Saleen into the living room again, and wiped off every stain she left. Haha. But now I've come to the conclusion that it's inevitable that the rug WILL get dirty again.

So, moral of the story, having a nice rug + a dog with allergies, do not mix! But a good rug cleaning every now and then makes things a little nicer, at least for the time being.

Fun Stop at The Found Cottage

Hudsonville, Michigan is the site of the cutest little shop, co-owned by one of my favorite bloggers, Liz of Liz Marie Blog. I've been following her blog now for a while, and I never miss any of her social media posts or Insta stories.

Liz just seems like the sweetest person. She's my age, and I remember following her blog as she was in the middle of taking interior design classes, and I became hooked. She has such a knack for making things look pretty, and I love following her new journey of life on a farm. Seriously, check her out if you haven't already.

Since I knew Liz was in Michigan and that's where we were going for our vacation this year, I had to look up where her shop was, so that we could hopefully stop there during our trip.

The Found Cottage is actually right outside of Grand Rapids, which was on our way to where we were staying in northern Michigan. We didn't have time to stop on the way up from Illinois, but luckily we had time on the way back home.

I was so excited to check out the store. It always looks so pretty from her photos, and after stopping and looking around, I was not disappointed.

There is a mix of antiques and home decor, along with some clothing and jewelry, too. I just snapped a couple of photos, but everything in the store is just so cute! There are so many unique vintage, rustic, and handmade items. It all looks so pretty, it's hard not to want everything!

I was of course wondering if Liz was going to be at the store working that day, and she was! I saw her there but didn't talk to her. I think she smiled at me, but I was too scared to say anything. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself! Haha. She did seem really nice though, and she sounded exactly like she sounds on her Insta stories. I was kind of star struck, I have to admit!

There was a necklace there that was so cute and I thought about getting it, and there were SO many other things I considered, too. In the end though, I ended up taking home this framed print, which we hung in the hallway:

And this throw pillow, which is now on the living room couch:

Are those not super cute?

I'm so glad that we had time to stop on our trip, and if we ever get back up there, you know I will be stopping there again!

Target Spring 2017 Decor

Have you all been to Target lately? I've been too busy with weddings and clothes shopping (in IA City this past weekend), as well as planning for vacations this summer. But I know I'll need to make it into Tar-jay this April for the new Victoria Beckham clothing line coming out on April 9! Who's with me?

In the mean time, there's always online "window shopping" for a good Target decor fix. I decided to check it out and see what decor they have out this spring.

Here's a roundup of some of my favorite online finds. (Links for all at the bottom) What do you think? Some fun items this spring, I'd say!

Sources:

Floral illustration art

Metal star sculpture

Double-head desk lamp

"The Future Is Bright" wall art

Orb lamp

Pineapple bookends

Glass terrarium

Feather wood wall decor

Planter stand

Farmhouse style lamp

Happy Target shopping, everyone!

Birthday Day-Off: Around The House

So I shared what I did for my birthday last weekend, but I also took some photos around the house on my actual birthday, Monday. I had the day off, and yes, I spent my birthday at home getting things done around the house. I did dishes, two loads of laundry, dusted and cleaned the house, and I found places for my new decor items I got shopping in Bishop Hill! It was actually a pretty nice and productive day.

Though it was cloudy most of the day, the sun even managed to peek out for a little while. Saleen was thrilled, as you can see.

I got to try out my new mug with some nice coffee on Monday morning - from my couch. :) 

And that is a selfie, from my last day being 28. So sad. It's the last year of my twenties. I'll go cry now..

I did spend my birthday getting the living room cleaned and de-cluttered. Can you say #adultlife?

Just me and Saleen hanging out. It was a grand old time.

And aren't my bee coasters and this cute candle holder perfect additions to the living room end table?

Then there's this cool glass box, which was a birthday present from my aunt. Mr. Turtle seems to like it pretty well.

All in all, my 29th birthday was a pretty good day spent. Though it did end with some scary excitement. We got severe weather in our area at about 11:00 -11:30 that night. There was actually a tornado pretty close to us, and we went down to the basement, Saleen and all! We were all ok in our area, though. No damage here, luckily - though a couple of surrounding towns got hit pretty badly. Let's hope we don't get more of that kind of weather for a while.

Happy weekend, TGIF! :)

A Dream Dressing Room, Inspired By Arhaus

Today I'm sharing my Dream Dressing Room with you all! This post is in collaboration with Arhaus, which is the source for so many beautiful decor and furniture pieces. 

If you're like me, you dream about a multifunctional space to elegantly store all of your clothes, shoes, and handbags, to try on your outfits for both day and night, and to do your makeup. A place where you feel beautiful, and a place that's all your own. I think a dressing room should accommodate all of these things while still having that luxurious and stylish feel.

When I think of my dream dressing room, elegance and airy, feminine touches come to mind. I think of a classic and elegant chandelier and neutral tones. All white shelves and drawers, and a makeup vanity. A framed fashion print on the walls. A tufted chair with a fluffy pillow, a contemporary rug, and of course, pink peonies - those are a staple for me in nearly every room! They're the little pop of color that a neutral room needs.

I don't quite have that dream closet space in my home yet, but I've put together a mood board to illustrate my Dream Dressing Room:

All of the lovely items above are from Arhaus, except the pillow (Z Gallerie) and the peony arrangement (Joss and Main).

Sources:

White dresser  |  Tufted chair  |  Ottoman  |  Fluffy pillow  |  Vase & faux peonies  |  Chandelier (View other lighting options here) |  Table lamp  |  Printed rug  |  Mirror  |  Fashion print  |  Paint color - "Simply White" by Benjamin Moore

I think a mix of stylish, glam, and contemporary pieces like these would really help to pull that luxurious and elegant look together. What about you? Do you have any pieces that you would need to have in a dressing room or closet?

Thanks to Arhaus for the inspiration!

My Himalayan Salt Lamp

So, it seems that the new, trendy thing in health and decor these days is Himalayan Salt Lamps. Have you heard of them? I've been seeing them all over lately, both in the stores and online. 

We first saw them last summer in Colorado. Some of the gift shops had them. I had never really seen them before then and didn't pay too much attention to them at the time. But lately I've been hearing so much about them and all of the amazing things they're supposed to do! So, I had to see for myself.

I actually ended up buying one from The Vitamin Shoppe. I saw a lot of good things online about the WBM brand lamps, and the reviews were really great for this one. It's 100% natural and hand-carved Himalayan salt, so each one is unique.

I've had my lamp for a little over a week now, and I really love it. From what I've read about Himalayan salt lamps, when you turn the lamp on, the light activates the salt, which acts as a natural air purifier, and cleanses the air by releasing negative ions. These ions "cancel out" toxins in the air, and the effect is something similar to the pure air at the top of a waterfall.

The main reason I decided to get one was for the reported health benefits, and to see if it would improve my allergies. I mainly just get them during allergy season, so I haven't had an issue with them yet this year. But I can say that the air does feel "cleaner" to me now, and I love the warm glow that it gives off. It's kind of calming in a way.

I replaced my alarm clock that I never used in the bedroom and have it on my nightstand. This lamp has a dimmer, so I've been sleeping with the light on dim. It's a much better energy now than with my alarm clock there, and I feel like it's less dusty, too!

So all in all, I'm definitely loving my new lamp so far. I'd say that they're worth all of the hype just for the warm and pretty glow they give off! And I wouldn't mind getting another one to enjoy when I'm not sleeping, too. Maybe I'll give an update in 6 months or so and share what I have or haven't seen in terms of health benefits over time. Stay tuned!

Cold Temps, and A Christmas Decor Update

Everyone keeping warm out there? We're in negative temps right now. It's COLD. Needless to say, I'm not stepping foot outside today if I don't have to!

This is the temp right now...feels like -25 degrees out there!

We were supposed to go to our friends' Ugly Christmas Sweater Party last night, but they decided to postpone it, because the weather was pretty bad. Blowing snow and ice on the roads. So, instead we went up town to the bar with Trent's brother for a little bit. Trent still donned his ugly Christmas sweater :) They're supposed to have the party on the 30th now instead, so hopefully we'll be able to go then, and take some fun pictures. :)

Now for a Christmas decor update! We never got any lights up outside this year. :( Trent's been working 6 days a week for the past month or two, so we've been too busy to put them up. Oh well - there's always next year.

I did get the front porch decorated with some of the usual decor items. I didn't get a picture yet, though...but maybe before Christmas I can still get one.

This weekend I've been home watching movies again. Today we're both home, and hope to get some cleaning done. Trent already vacuumed this morning. I'll be spending the afternoon washing dishes. Woo-hoo.

Most of the Christmas presents are done and under the tree. I think we're running out of space for them!

After Christmas, I'll share a little post about the gifts I put together. I did kind of a different theme this year.

Well, it's back to movies and the dishes. Have a good rest of the weekend, everyone! :)