Spring is in the air and flowers are blooming... well, sort of. While I am a floral lover and a wannabe plant lady, I am admittedly a serial plant and flower killer. I can however, work my magic with some faux florals! And this year, it is ALL ABOUT the florals. So pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, or heck, even a glass of wine and come take a tour of our spring home!
31 things you may not know about me:
Well friends, today I am officially 31 years old; I am over the hump and am sailing into my 30's... I thought it might be fun to share a little more about myself and well, what makes me, ME! So, here I'm going to kick off 31 things you may not know about me:
* Yes, today is April 22nd, and my birthday happens to be on Earth Day. Being a Taurus, which is an earth sign, does being born on Earth Day make you extra "earthy" and down to earth? I'd like to think that I'm pretty grounded and reasonable. I'm calm, easy-going, and am open to talking about almost any thing to anyone. Earth day/ birthday or not, I would say that I for sure am a true Taurus. Strong willed, stubborn, yet sensitive, creative, indulgent, and down to earth.
* I am a night owl. Always have been. When I was little, I would stay up all night reading books, drawing and writing out stories that I wish would come true. I guess you could say not much has changed since then! I still stay up until midnight (sometimes later) either reading, sketching up ideas or writing what is on my heart.
* I failed my first driver's license test. And before I ever even left the parking lot. Yup. I was pulling out of the DMV parking lot when a car came from the opposite lane into the one I was supposed to turn into and I had to swerve out of the way, so they failed me. If you ask me, I'd say I had a grumpy instructor that day... Nevertheless, I was able to come back 2 weeks later and pass with flying colors.
* The first concert I ever attended was the Spice Girls. And yes, I wore my hair exactly like Emma's, platform sneakers, and a spice girl t- shirt and I still know the words to every song nearly 15 years later!
* I lost my momma to cancer on September 17th, 2011. I was 24 years old and 8 months pregnant with my first child. What should have been the happiest time of my life suddenly became the most traumatic. I spent my first year of marriage and first pregnancy, caring for my mother and all that she needed through her treatments. I am so thankful for every single last moment with her in those months. While, it's not how I ever expected my life to look like, I am thankful for those 24 years that God gave me with her. Losing her has been the biggest marathon that I have ever had to fight through. Even now, I have days where I want to hide away and break down. Birthday's were no longer a time for celebration after her passing. I suddenly felt guilty for feeling happy on the day that SHE brought me into this world. This day wasn't about me anymore, it was about her. The woman who gave me this life and labored to bring me into it. I want each birthday to honor her and her sacrifice and love for me. My mother never was able to watch me become a mother, but as soon as the doctor placed my baby girl in my arms, just as I was placed in my momma's arms as her first child, I knew right then and there the love that she had for me my entire life and what a birthday truly means. It hurts every day that I didn't get to fully understand and know that love until after she was gone.
* I have one younger brother, he and I are total opposites and we were born, 1 month shy of 2 years, 1 day, 1 hour, and 1 minute apart. Oh and he was born 1 room away from where I was born. Kinda crazy.
* There is a past on and off relationship that had in my early 20's which I still regret making wrong choices with. I do believe everything happens for a reason, but that person will always be apart of my story
* There is a past on and off relationship that had in my early 20's which I still regret making wrong choices with. I do believe everything happens for a reason, but that person will always be apart of my story
* My favorite food is pasta. Give me all the pasta
* My started working my first job at 15 years old, at a local taco shop in Encinitas, California called Rico's.
* In high school I was the only girl on the drum line. Yes, marching band geek here!
* Because of being involved in music, I was given the opportunity to do a 2 week musical foreign exchange program and traveled to stay with a host family in England when I was 13 years old. It was the most amazing experience!
* I traveled for 2 weeks through Russia with my grandmother shortly after graduating high school in 2005.
* My family has a homestead in Rush Springs, Oklahoma. As a kid we spent many summers and family reunions there. Some of my best memories are on that farm.
* I was born and raised in San Diego, California. Specifically Encinitas. I grew up as the typical Southern California kid. Tony Hawk, Shaun White and all the guys from Blink 182 are just a few that came from of my hometown! (Yes, I've met all of them)
* I always thought one day I would grow up to teach elementary school.
* After having my first daughter, we went through 3 years of infertility and a loss before receiving our rainbow baby girl.
* Mint chocolate ice cream is my favorite.
* I drive a minivan. And I love it.
* I learned everything I know about building and DIY's from my parents. They were always working on something around the house and were a wealth of knowledge. I still call my dad all the time to ask for help!
* My dad owns a commercial janitorial company in San Diego. I grew up going to work with him as far back as I can remember. I learned to vacuum and dust before I could run and earned my allowance scrubbing a whole lot of toilets!
* A place I would love to travel to is France and Italy some day.
* My grandmother is where nearly all of my creativity stems from. She is the one who pushed me to use and explore my talents. She was the most amazing woman. She played piano, organ, painted, sewed, decorated greeting cards, and could craft up anything.
* I started out working as an invitation designer while still in high school for a large wedding invitation company.
* I also worked as a full time nanny for 8 years before having my own children.
* I have done everything from invitation design, to making diaper cakes, photography, sign making, and interior decorating.
* When I'm overwhelmed, I shut down. I retreat from all social media and hide away.
* My biggest fear is not just death, but leaving this world before I feel my purpose is complete.
* I value being real more than anything. I would rather have someone hate me and know it, rather than someone pretend to like me and talk bad about me behind my back. I love being able to relate to others on a deeper level, knowing their real self and in return, sharing mine too.
* I am a total introvert. Going out and being social is physically exhausting for me. After one day of interaction, I need literally 3 straight days of staying home and doing nothing to re-charge. Thank goodness for social media where we can be "social" yet stay in our comfy pants!
* I listen to all kinds of music. Everything from country to pop, to rock, christian, even hardcore metal. The only thing I can't stand is rap. Oh, and I'm not afraid to bust a move when driving the mom mobile.
* Truth. Turning 31 has been even better than 30. Last year I was literally terrified of transitioning into my 30's, but this year I am more confident, happy & just plain content with who I am. I guess that's what they talk about when they say "with age comes wisdom" or "a year older, a year wiser"? I'm excited to see what this year brings
I hope you have enjoyed getting to know me a little better! It was fun for me to think back to all of these memories and little things that make me Jennifer. Here's to a a new year full of fun adventures, here's to 31!
Photography by CANDACE HIRES PHOTOGRAPHY
Dress from KERVOLOGY
Do you have any toys laying around the house? Who am I kidding, if you are a mom, of course you have toys laying around your house... all. the. time. But I'm talking about those big toys, the ones that don't fit in the closets and have to stay out and be apart of your decor?
*This post contains affiliate links
I will be the first to admit, I am a toy snob. If it doesn't fit with my decor, I don't buy it OR I make sure I can hide it away! Well, I walked into TARGET the other day and holy clearance! Nearly every toy was on sale! Of course my kids wanted everything they could get their hands on... but after wrangling them back in, we decided on a toy that could be shared.
This LittleTikes Dollhouse was on clearance from $54 down to $17.84!
Do you remember the original one from the 80's/90's? I remember it being on my "Santa List", waking up Christmas morning to discover it under the tree and my little heart bursting with joy.
I love that Little Tikes and Fisher Price have been bringing back all of our childhood favorites.
Obviously I snatched up this good sale, but the colors on the other hand were not what I had in mind for a dollhouse that was going to sit out and be apart of my daughter's nursery decor. Spray paint to the rescue! While I totally recommend this for aesthetic purposes, I wouldn't suggest spray painting your children's toys if they have a tendency to put them in their mouth. Luckily for us, we are past that phase and my youngest has never had the tendency to do so.
Let's start with what I used:
My all time favorite brand of spray paint is
Rust-Oleum
I normally purchase all of my Rust-Oleum products at Home Depot, but this time ordered them straight off of Amazon. Below I have linked the colors I used for this project.
RUST-OLEUM - Fossil / Satin
RUST-OLEUM - Sweet Pea / Satin
The best and easiest way to spray paint any toy is do do it before assembly or to take it completely apart. Start by taping off the areas that you do not want painted, using painter's tape. Then separate your pieces by color you desire to paint them. Do and even 3 coats on each.
Once dry, assemble back together and you will have a completely transformed play addition to your home that fits with your decor!
While we have changed up my daughter's room more than a few times, this design was still one of my most challenging and completely outside of my decor comfort zone, but I adore how it turned out. Since this room makeover, we have redone her room yet again (per her request for a new bed) but at the time, this room design totally fit my daughter's personality. The one single thing that I love most about creating kid spaces is tailoring the design to fit them and their unique personality. My daughter has always been a free spirit, loves color and is my little boho tom-boy.
While the average parent may not change their child's room as often as I do (designer problems are real folks) I love designing unique spaces for kid's that will last far beyond a specific phase and will easily transition as they do by adding small personal elements into the overall room design as their interests change.
I wanted it to be cozy, and with any bohemian design, adding pattern, texture and layers is the way to do it. Pick colors that compliment each other. You can mix many different patterns and textures as long as they are in the same color family and tone. For her room, the blues and purples lean towards a cooler tonal palette. This really goes for oranges/ reds/ yellows, greens/ blues, or all neutrals. If you stick to the same tones, anything will go. The more layers and pattern, the better, when it comes to bohemian design.
This peacock chair was a $10 Facebook marketplace score! I have always wanted one, but with the style of the rest of my home, it would have stuck out like a sore thumb! Thankfully I have a daughter that is the polar opposite of me and her style has allowed the designer in me to design the boho room of her dreams. While it may not look comfortable for an adult, it is the perfect little reading corner for a 5 year old. Check your local resale pages often because I see these for sale all of the time for much less than if you were to buy one new like THIS ONE.
The embroidery hoop wreaths are probably my favorite thing in her room and cost less than $20 to make all 5 of them! Below I have added the tutorial and everything you will need.
Another tip when it comes to designing a bohemian bedroom, think about unique rug placement. Either place a rug at an angle or layer rugs for more a cozy feel. I bought THIS RUG in a 5x7 from Target on clearance for just $89! I notice that this rug goes on sale quite often so keep an eye out for a great deal rather than pay full price.
BREAKING DOWN THE DETAILS:
Side Table: (similar) WORLD MARKET
Ottoman: (similar) AMAZON
Rug: TARGET
Bed Skirt: PB TEEN
Duvet: PB TEEN (CLEARANCE)
(matching euro + standard sham not available)
Patterned Quilt: PB TEEN (CLEARANCE)
(matching euro sham not available)
White Quilt: (similar) AMAZON
Blue Shag Pillow: SIMILAR OPTION
Blue + Purple Pom Pillow: SIMILAR OPTION
Blue + Purple Tassel Pillow: SIMILAR OPTION
Floral Stems: MAGNOLIA
Chair: (similar) AMAZON
Since most of this bedding is no longer available, I have linked other affordable options in the same colors that would create the same overall feel.
BEDDING OPTIONS:
PILLOW OPTIONS:
DECOR EXTRAS:
Want to create a large wall statement for under $20? Keep reading along...
HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1. Two spools of yarn of your choice
2. Velvet ribbon
3. Hot glue gun + glue sticks
4. Four embroidery hoops (one extra large, one large, one medium and one small)
Before you begin, take apart each hoop so that you have 2 pieces each. For my wall, I used one of the extra large hoops, both pieces of the large hoop (separated), both pieces of the medium hoop (separated), and one of the small hoops.
You will start off by cutting the yarn into the desired length that you are wanting. For mine, I did 1 yard each. Keep in mind that you will be placing the yarn pieces onto your hoops at the center point of each yarn piece, so fold a yarn in half and hold it up to to the base of your hoop before cutting to make sure that you like the length. These cuts do not have to be accurate, as you can always trim up the ends later or leave them for a more relaxed boho look.
Cut, cut and cut until you have cut your entire spool of yarn.
Then take one yarn piece and fold it in half.
Place it on the bottom end of your hoop coming from the back side of it.
You will then bring the loop part over the wood towards you,
and place the 2 loose ends through the hoop, pushing the loop part away from you
and bringing the 2 loose ends towards you.
It should then look like this.
Then pull the 2 loose ends upwards to tighten the loop.
And finally bring it back down to tighten in place. Slide your finished yarn piece over and continue to add more switching from left to right each time until you have the desired amount of yarn on your hoop.
Lastly, hot glue greenery onto the top of your hoops and hot glue the velvet ribbon over the greenery and hoop. Hang your ribbons at your desired heights on your wall and hang using a nail, then cut off excess ribbon length to be flush with the ceiling.
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