Designed With Grace & Joy

How to Create an Entryway that Reflects You and Your Home Your entryway is the threshold to your home, and should be the first decorative sentence in telling your family’s story. ❤️  It’s key to have a balance between decor and mementos, but also create a space that to you says, “I’m home.” 🏠 For me, my favorite things about this entry are those that are the most special: a picture of my husband and me toasting on our wedding day 🥂 and then a subsequent framed shot of our whole family 10 years later when we renewed our vows...a small memento from our Reverend, who a decade later was gracious enough to perform the ceremony (again), and a beautiful wood block creation, handmade by my best friend. 😍  Add in a few decorative items from some of my favorite stores (💁‍♀️ I’m talking to you, Target and Homegoods!) and sets the tone for the whole home the minute you walk in the door. ❤️ Want some more tips on how yo...

So, we moved  into a new house a few weeks ago, and one of the biggest eyesores to me was this laundry room below! 🙈 The all-white paint...the open overflowing shelves, the white utility shelf above the washer and dryer...I could go on and on.  Is it weird that it was super, super important to me to make this old laundry room “prettier”?? 🤷‍♀️ Look, I get that it’s just a laundry room, and maybe doesn’t matter all that much...but the truth is, I spend a LOT of time in here, and that “before” was just not gonna cut it. 😏  Because it also doubles as our upstairs linen closet, it was a must to get those shelves in order! And the basic white utility shelf had to go (which I re-used in another part of the house!! 💃). Plus I really wanted a sink installed for my laundry needs. 🚰 I also do a lot of DIY and crafting, so that was a must-have for me. Add in some fresh color — of course, my favorite Sherwin Williams  paint in Slate Tile, with a new 3” perfect...

This week was back-to-back appointments that focused on one of my favorite things: WALL COLLAGES!! 😍  Here are some tips to make sure your wall collages turn out perfectly:  1️⃣) Lay out the collage on the floor to see exactly how it will look. By doing this you can also measure the entire collage and make sure it fits in the intended space. But more importantly, it helps you visualize the final product and make sure it’s what you are going for.  2️⃣) Balance is KEY. Items can have different visual weight despite being different sizes. For example, something that is smaller, but has a pattern or bold color, will have more visual weight than a simple, neutral-colored larger item.  3️⃣) Measure the distance between the pieces while they are on the floor, and then start hanging each piece one by one, continuing to follow the placement you decided upon.  As far as items go, there are always ways to mix in things other than frames; for exa...

I love my new porch so much, I might invite all friends over for a “Porch Party”! 😂😍 I was so tired of my old bright and beachy Adirondack chairs right in front of our house, so I brought in more neutral colors, some black for drama, and of course the cutest fairy lights ever from Amazon! 💡  They were super easy to hang (I just drilled level holes 10” apart, screwed in some small hooks, and viola! And let me tell you, once those lights come on, it is something so special!! It’s now my kids’ and my favorite place to hang out...we go sit on the porch (me with a glass of 🍷) and have what we call a “porch night.”  The MINUTE they turn on in the evenings, I’m like a moth to a flame, wanting to go hang out on our front porch! 💡 And at just over $15 bucks, they were worth every penny!! All in all, this whole makeover cost less than $500, the bulk of that being the gorgeous chairs...but to me, those were the must-have’s for this project!  Again, just further p...

At least for me, part of loving everything home design also includes loving everything organization. It’s hard to meet your design goals when nothing has its place. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I’m a bit of a clean freak, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a closet or two stuffed to the brim and totally out of whack. One thing at a time though, right?  Anyway, when I got my garage in order a few months ago, one thing that was driving me nuts was the kids’ bikes along the walls...despite being small, they take up a lot of room when just left on the floor. I was given a tip on some awesome bike hangers by @simpleorganization, and I went for it. And I have to say, they   live up to my expectations!  These hangers are very sturdy, and even my Father-in-Law, who’s an avid cyclist, was blown away by them. As we add more bikes, I definitely plan to invest in more of these gems.   If you want to add some of these bike racks to your gara...

Happy #transformationtuesday! The floating shelf medicine cabinet project is finally done -- but this one comes with a story.  I've talked to death about the fact that I love DIY projects and I have people tell me all the time they can't believe the things I do, but the truth is, I'M STILL LEARNING!  They say your biggest challenges become your greatest teaching moments, and this project was definitely a challenge (ie: I learned A LOT!), in more ways than one. First, after removing the medicine cabinet I realized the wall was going to need a lot of drywall repair.  So, I taught myself how to do drywall repair and wall texture. BTW, YouTube is a savior with stuff like that! Anyway, once I finished that up I went to install my floating shelves, and when I drilled the hole, I noticed light peeking through.  I had no way to know it, but that wall was only 1/2" thick, so I inadvertently drilled right to the other side! I had no idea how I'd still be able...