Pretty Spring Tablescapes

I’m so happy Spring is here! The weather has been amazing around here lately. Our garden plans are coming together. We even broke down and bought a rototiller, because we are serious gardeners now. I’ve  got flowers on the brain, BIG time. I just want to fill my house to the brim with them. So it makes sense that I’m drawn to all of these beautiful, flower focused tablescapes lately. I’ve been pinning everything from small Easter table settings, to gorgeous fancy-shmancy wedding table settings…I just can’t stop myself! So. Much. Prettiness.

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^I’m obsessed with this blush-y, peach-y color. A simple pot of flowers/plants can so easily be transitioned from the table to basically anywhere else in the house when you’re done with it.

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^These painted tin cans are such  an easy, and cheap idea. You could customize them for whatever look you’re going for. I like the way they painted them all the same color for a monochromatic look, but they would be fun painted all different colors too.

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^This just screams Spring to me. It’s just so fresh and colorful. You can’t be in a mad mood sitting at this table.

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^This one is obviously for a wedding, but you could easily scale it back a little for a less formal event. I just love all those pinks popping in front of that navy table runner. And those white and gold vases really let the flowers be the star of the show.

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^I love this charming table setting. So simple and pretty with the mason jar vases filled with one kind of flower. It has a lovely vintage vibe with the milk glass candle holders and table runner made from handkerchiefs.

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^Lovely. That’s really all I have to say about this one. Gold, white and pink, all of my faves. Just lovely!

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^I love this idea of an Anthro-inspired arrangement. I could live with this on my table every day, but it would also be pretty for so many different events. I love using all white (and a little yellow) flowers to really showcase the pretty colored vases. It also gives me something to look for the next time I’m at a flea market!

 

 

 

Moody Blue Master

When we first moved in and I was contemplating paint colors for our master bedroom, I had all pale colors in my mind. Something light and airy, and calming. So color me surprised (no pun intended) when I decided to go with a very dark navy.

I’ve said before that I really am trying to get out of my color-picking pattern and have a little more fun with color. I want to incorporate some bolder colors and not play it so safe! I mean it’s just paint, it can easily be changed if I hate it.

I actually grew to really like the olive-green color that was already on the walls. It’s a good neutral and looks good with a lot of different colors. But once I got the idea of a dark, moody, navy blue in my head, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it! You can see in the pic below that I tried a different blue that I already had on hand, but it was way too bright for me. (Please pretend like you can’t see the old cabinet and box of diapers out in the hallway)

Our bedroom is on the “cozier” side, it’s not huge or anything, but it has really nice natural light so I wasn’t too worried about a dark color in here.

Even after the first coat, I was pretty much in love. I’m still trying to think of other things I can paint navy…

Hopefully I can snap some better pics later. I had to hurry and snap pics while the baby napped and while the room wasn’t a complete mess. That’s a combo that does NOT happen very often!

I just love how the navy looks with the bright white crown molding and with the wood trim. I still have some work to do in here, like hanging more artwork and getting the window treatments figured out, but it’s definitely feeling more finished in here. I’m also rethinking the closet layouts, I would love to eliminate at least one dresser to create a little more space in here. More on all that later!

Liebster Award

I started blogging because I needed a creative outlet while I made the transition from designer to stay at home mom. It also helps me stay connected to the design world that I left behind in Kansas City. It’s been fun to document our life here on the farm and give our friends and family (and anyone else interested) back home a glimpse into our lives.

I’ve been able to connect with a lot of other great bloggers/blogs, like, Blended Ever After and Time 2 Refuel, who both recently nominated me for a Liebster Award. This award is passed around the blogging community to recognize each others work and to help new blogs grow. Here’s how it works: I answer 11 questions posed to me by the person who nominated me. Then, I nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers via social media and ask them 11 new questions. Then, they answer my questions, link me in their post, and send out their own nominations! So, thank you to Blended Ever After  and Time 2 Refuel for the nomination, and here are my answers to your questions:

1. How did you come up with your blog’s name and/or premise? It’s kind of silly, but since we are literally in the middle of Kansas, I thought I’d do a play on Wizard of Oz’s yellow brick road. Only gold instead, because gold is better….always.

2. Of all the posts you wrote until now, which one is your favorite and why? I’m a sucker for a good before and after post. My favorite of mine is probably “Do These Stripes Make Me Look Fat” where I did a before and after of our downstairs bathroom. It’s proof that a good paint job can completely transform a space.

3. What’s one of your favorite personal qualities/characteristics? I like to think I’m a pretty relate-able mom.  I am not a perfect parent by any means. Our house is messy 90% of the time, sometimes I feed my kid mac and cheese from a box (shudder!), and some days I need a combo of coffee and wine to get through the day, but I love my family more than anything!

4. If You Won The Lottery, What Would Be The First Thing You’d Do? Well, of course I’d pay off my student loans first (boring!) and then I’d travel, travel, travel!

5. Are you a planner? Or are you spontaneous? Both. I used to be a lot more spontaneous before I had a child. Funny how that happens…

6. What’s your idea of a perfect trip? Wine tasting in Napa, exploring a new city on foot, or laying on a beach with a fruity drink…..any of these would be perfection

7. Who’s a source of inspiration for you? My daughter. She’s so brave, she has no fear. Everything is so new to her and she is so curious about everything. She makes me want to get off my butt and go explore!

8. What is your favorite quote and by whom?

“The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.” -Margaret Nadauld

9. What’s one piece of advice you are tired of hearing from others? Oh lord, anything about parenting!…Parenting is such a different journey for every mother/father, what works for your child does not necessarily work for my child and vice versa.

10. And what’s one you would like to share? Live your own life. I feel like with social media there is so much more pressure to be like someone else or constantly compare yourself to others. I think everyone just needs to be present in their own lives and enjoy what you have.

11. What’s your guiltiest pleasure? Real Housewives of Anything…I know they’re ridiculous and I cannot relate to 90% of their lives, but I can watch it and zone out for hours.

Now, it’s my turn to nominate: Makeup and Marbles, Coffee Break Blogger, Naturally Nerdy Mommas, Moments Big and Small, Traveling Sarah’s Blog, Let It Be Told!, The Racing Thoughts of a Social Work Mom, I’d Rather Make It Myself, Natural Hair Care For Kids, Wading Through The Waters, Sculpted Me

Here are my 11 questions for you! Happy blogging!

1. Why did you decide to start blogging?

2. Of all the posts you wrote until now, which one is your favorite and why? Share a link!

3. What’s your favorite quote?

4. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

5. What’s your idea of a perfect day?

6. What’s an accomplishment you’re really proud of?

7. How would you spend a million dollars?

8. What’s your favorite family activity?

9. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

10. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

11. What’s the number one thing on your bucket list?

Yard Work

We have had beautiful weather here in Central Kansas the last week. My toddler has been in heaven, she brings me her shoes and says “pweeze pweeze pweeze” while pointing to the window. I can’t say no to that! Anyone who lives in the Midwest knows that the weather can change in a flash, so we’ve been trying to soak up every second of this sunshine while we can. We’ve been swinging, sliding, taking rides in our wagon, exploring the yard, and picking up and inspecting every single rock in our gravel drive way….EVERY. SINGLE. ROCK.

All this time outdoors has been amazing and much-needed after being stuck inside most days this Winter. Of course while outside, I’m noticing all the things about our yard that hate. We moved here last Spring so we missed out on a lot of landscaping and gardening opportunities while we focused our efforts on the interior of the house. We were lucky enough to get the house painted last Summer, and planted a few tomato plants, but other than that, we really have done nothing outside.

Being way out here in the country, there is a lot less pressure for curb appeal, but I definitely want our house/yard to reflect us and to create our own little oasis. Last year we missed out on a lot of great weather and opportunities to hang out outside and I REALLY don’t want that to happen again. I’ve been pinning ideas for the last year and I’ve compiled a list of what I’d really like to accomplish this Spring/Summer.

1. Tidy Up

We have a lot to clean up in our garage and yard. Along with cleaning/emptying the garage, we also have a bird problem. The garage is an old steel building and unfortunately has a lot of places for birds and other animals to get in. While cleaning up, we definitely want to try to close it up as much as we can and find a safe way to get rid of the birds. I’m not  bird-hater or anything, but I would like to be able to park my car and store things in the garage without them becoming covered in bird poo.

2. Create A Garden

My only real complaint about living in the country is the lack of good produce. I wasn’t expecting that to be a problem out here, but it is. If we want the good stuff, we are going to have to rely on our own gardening skills. Other than tomatoes and some herbs, I really don’t have a lot of gardening experience so this one makes me a little nervous. I’d really like to grow a good variety of different veggies. We have a designated area for our new garden and now we just need to come up with a plan and figure out what and when we need to start planting.

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3. Create A Playspace

Since I’m going to be outside maintaining our garden, it would be so nice to have a nearby area for kiddos to play where I can hear/see them.  We found plans for an elevated playhouse that we would love to build for Hollis. These two were my faves, I love the idea of being able to customize it to exactly what we want.

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4. Patio Area

So….for those of you who have read this blog for a while, you know that our “front door” is really our back door. The original front door is gone, along with the beautiful, large front porch :(. There is a side door with a small covered patio on it that we could use, but the door, which is off of our living room, doesn’t work very well and the patio needs some major repair. Currently that is where our grill and patio furniture live, but we never use it. I think with some work and TLC we could make it usable for us, BUT I would still love a patio area next to the door that we DO use. Nothing really fancy, but a place that we could house and use our grill and set up a table and chairs. This spot is especially convenient because it is so close to the kitchen and it also faces where we would set up our play space and garden. I think we may make the side door usable for this Spring/Summer and focus on making a better located patio in the next few years.

This last pic is the view from the door we use regularly. The kitchen window has the same view too, which is really the reason I want to have the garden and play area here. It would be great if I could make lunch or snacks and still be able to see my little one playing.

So that’s my list so far! It should be plenty to keep me busy the next few months! If anyone has any tips for laying out a garden or how to nicely get rid of birds, I’d love to hear it!