Bring the Living Room Outside!

My patio has become my favorite room in the house. It’s the perfect spot to have coffee in the morning, read a book or just relax at the end of the day.

Today, we have some amazing gardeners showing off their Outdoor Living Spaces and giving you some great ideas. Please check out Mary Ann from classic • casual • home , Cindy from Rough Luxe , Annie from Most Lovely Things , Karen from Garden, Home & Party and Kerry from Graham Hill Design You will love all the inspiration!

You can easily decorate and create an outdoor living space without spending a lot of money.

• Create a wall or borders around your space

Plants help create the borders and I’m fortunate to have a wall on one side. I planted a Creeping Fig Plant which adheres very well and it quickly covered my wall with beautiful greenery. If you don’t have a wall, you can use a trellis for this look.

I love having lots of plants on my patio and they can also create an enclosure.

Furniture is another good border to enclose your space. Most of my furniture comes from Flea markets or estate sales. It’s always so fun to find something you really love at a fraction of the cost.

• Add Comfort

Pillows and blankets always give the cozy homey feels. You can’t have enough pillows for coziness. I use a large white blanket to cover my couch and give it a summer feel. I even add pillows under the blanket to make the seating softer.

• Add Life to your Space with plants and birds

I love having lots of plants. The corner of my patio is put together with pieces I have collected at flea markets. The old wooden shutter doors give me a great way to display plants. The table top is an old tulip tray that I placed on top of a little table to make the surface bigger.

I created a herb garden from an old drawer lined with burlap. I love having quick access to some of my favorite herbs.

A Hummingbird feeder and birdhouse also bring life by providing a peaceful feeling to your space.

We even have a resident Dove who is caring for her eggs!

One of my newest additions is the “Stay Awhile” Sign from Target. I attached it to an old window (curbside find). It has sort of a vintage feel and I love the simplicity.

And for more Outdoor Living Spaces inspiration…

Please visit these amazing spaces!

Karen from Garden, Home & Party

Kerry from Graham Hill Design

Marie from Marie’s Home and Garden

Annie from Most Lovely Things

Cindy from Rough Luxe

Mary Ann from classic • casual • home

xo,

Marie

 

 

 

 

 

Before and After: Farmhouse Kitchen Remodel

So excited to share my very budget friendly kitchen remodel. We made 4 changes and did it in 4 days for $5,000.00. See itemized costs below.

1. Quartz counters
2. Subway tile backsplash
3. Farmhouse sink – Kohler Whitehaven from Lowes (opened a charge for $100 off)
4. Faucet – Moen from Costco

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The Centerpiece of my kitchen is the Vintage Stove

Most of the decorations throughout my kitchen are Flea Market and Thrift Store Finds.

TOTAL COST:

Quartz Counters (2 pieces) 1,350.00

Subway Tile     200.00

Farmhouse Sink  800.00

Moen Faucet     150.00

Labor (4 days)  2,500.00

Total  $5,000.00

Thanks for stopping by!

xo

Marie

White Décor in the Dining Room

I found a corner cabinet at the Salvation Army for $30.00 and quickly painted it white. That started my Dining Room mini-makeover.

Then I got curtains at Target. (I removed the old dark shutters)

Then more shelves, once again from Salvation Army ($3.00 each). I LOVE open shelves.

Happy Wednesday friends! xo

Marie

Repurpose Ladder into Birdhouse Stand

Last weekend I was lucky to find a FREE old wooden ladder on the side of the road. I have wanted one to create a bird house setting in my garden. Thankfully I had red paint and some old bird houses.    

   It’s at the edge of my back yard and I love seeing it from my porch.

I hope you’re having a happy day. 

xo

Marie

Den Reveal

There’s new paint and a few accessories in my den. The ideas for this room were a collaboration from my awesome neighbors and good friends Karen and Cheryl, plus all the Instagram inspiration I see everyday.

I wanted a more clean and simple feeling.

Karen advised me to put up this curtain to give a more clean look since our large collection of DVDs are behind it.

My favorite addition to the room (the centerpiece) is this painting below. I have to give credit to my good friend on Instagram, Juler54.  She found it at Home Goods and posted it to her IG feed. Plus she recommended the paint color. I love both. The painting is special because it shows the bike path of one of my favorite beaches – Playa Del Rey, where I rode my bike many times, especially during college. Also, my husband lived  right on this beach when we met and we had our first date.

Source List:

Wall Paint – Crystal Haze by Dunn Edwards

Paint Trim – Chantilly Lace Benjamin Moore

Rug and ottoman Tray – Target

Baskets under TV, Painting and Pillows and many accessories on the shelves – Home Goods

Lamp and Mirror – World Market

 

I hope you have a good day.

xo

Marie

Laundry Room Update

There are so many gorgeous laundry rooms that are inspiring me. I love the one below from Duo Ventures Blog.

So I decided to do a quick update on mine. It was getting really messy:

I took everything off the shelves and cleaned it all really well. Then I put it all back, but in containers.

I had most of the baskets, but I picked up a few from Home Goods (Wash Container) and Target (White Baskets and detergent containers).

I hope you have a good day.

xo

Marie

 

 

 

Vitamix Kale Smoothie Recipe

This is a quick, delicious and healthy Kale smoothie.

I got this recipe from my Pilates teacher, Marita.

Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Milk (I use 1/2 cup chocolate and 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla)

1 1/2 cups Kale (about 1 large handful) (you can also use spinach)

1/2 banana

1 Tablespoon peanut butter (I use a handful of cashews)

1 cup ice (you can add more or less depending on how thick you want it)

Put it all in the blender and blend for about 3 minutes, until smooth.

It tastes like a banana shake with a little peanut butter and chocolate.  I LOVE IT. Kale is a SUPER veggie that is loaded with vitamins A, C and K. It’s a great way to start the day.

Have a good one.

xo

Marie

Pie Crust Heart Cookies

Pie crust is my favorite, so when I saw these cookies made by Jennifer Rizzo I had to make them.

I used the Pillsbury crust and some semi sweet chocolate chips.

These are my cookies 😊

I used a knife to spread the melted chocolate between the cookies. Drizzling the chocolate on top was hard, but they sure tasted good.

I hope you have a happy Valentines Day 💕

xo

Marie

Open Shelves

Lindsay and I did a mini update to her kitchen. She really needed more space so we added some open shelves and a metal storage cart. She got the shelves and dark grey kitchen cart from IKEA.  We only had to move the dog food to a different location to gain this awesome space.

I hope you have a good weekend.

xo,

Marie

Fab Winter Outfit

Courtney from A Thoughtful Place Blog inspired me to get this fabulous outfit. Isn’t it awesome?

 

She provides all the details on where to get everything on her blog (link above).

Here is my version.

My top is from Forever21. The scarf is something I have had for a long time.

I hope you are having a nice weekend.

xo

Marie