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Yard Work with Toro

Brooke Courtney July 19, 2017

Well friends, you picked a good blog to read, because I have an announcement to make!

Drum roll please....

We. Did. Yard work.

Oh! And we're having another baby. That too. 😊 But I'll talk about that in another post. (Aka, newwww nursery!!!)

I'm honestly not sure which is more impressive -- the yard work or baby #2. πŸ˜‚ Life has felt crazy lately. Between getting everything ready for the grand opening of SUPPLY, and barfing more than I'd ever like to, thanks due to Baby #2, our yard got wayyyy out of control. Ferns everywhere. Tree bark everywhere. Weeds, and dirt, and chaos. See photos for proof. Even Penny was like "πŸ™€". #sorryneighbors #dontworrywetookcareofit

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Enter Toro to save the day. πŸ™ŒπŸ½ I've partnered with Toro to show you their new Toro PowerPlexβ„’ 40V Max* Lithium Ion Products -- and they're just as awesome as they sound.

T.J. was pummmped up about the new Brushless Blower. As you can see we have some really big trees on our street and he is the one to handle all 1.2 million leaves that fall from them come October. The blower worked great to clear away all of the bark, leaves and dirt.

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I trimmed back all of our ferns because they'd just gotten too crazy, while T.J. used the String Trimmer to edge along all of our sidewalks. We'd never done this before, but it looks so nice afterwards!! What? Are we grown-ups or something!?!

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The string trimmer also rotates from an edger to a trimmer, which was perfect for the madness happening in our garden and back lot.

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It was really enjoyable working outside with T.J. on this project. πŸ’• We listened to Good Old War, talked about future business ideas, and went through an entire bottle of bug spray. Poor T.J., he's just too sweet -- he get's eaten alive. Thanks for taking one for the team, babe!

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We decided to mulch everything, even though it's late in the season for it, and it turned out so nice. I used the Brushless Blower to clean off the sidewalks, driveway and front porch when it was all done. My favorite part is clicking the battery into place. I feel so cool every time I do it. πŸ˜‚

After several hard days of work, I made our front porch look happy again to celebrate a fresh yard and summertime flavors -- 14 grain bread with The Peach Truck's Jam and lime/mint ice water.

Ahhh.... no more weeds. Now I'm off to daydream about a nursery for Baby #2. 

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In HOME Tags Outdoors, Backyard, Sponsored, Partner, Toro
4 Comments

Our 2017 Garden | Step 1: Buy Plants 🌱

Brooke Courtney May 16, 2017

First of all, it is only Tuesday evening and I already feel like it's been a long week. πŸ˜‚ Most of that is due to the fact that June's had a rough couple of days. She just seems... off. Extra tender. Extra frustrated. Extra everything. Poor girl! Added with the fact that we'd planned to start potty training yesterday, and have since thrown that out the window entirely because she just cries and cries and says "Noooo please" when we ask her to try sitting on the potty, I am also feeling extra tender. Extra frustrated. Extra everything. Oi vey. πŸ˜‚ That's just motherhood sometimes. I am learning to lean into it and be okay with tossing everything out the window and just enjoying what the day has for me instead. One of the ways I am able to do that is by taking my real camera along for the "every day things" June and I do together. It helps me focus on how beautiful the little things really are.

Today's plan: buy stuff for our garden. 😍 Last year we ripped up part of the parking area at the back of our yard that we never use and put in four raised gardening beds! You can see those before/progress photos here!

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June and I only grabbed a few of the basics for our garden today, as I'm sure I'll go back several times yet to purchase more once I've begun to fill the beds and figure out the design.

I picked up some yellow and red cherry tomatoes, a few pepper plants, green beans and cucumbers. June picked up 18 containers of Golden Lemon Thyme and had to be convinced that we only need one. "Dat one" she'd say and point to all the pots we "needed for our cart". 

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I kept trying to get June to smell the herbs, but she'd either get it too close to her face and get upset (I told you she's tender these days), or she'd rub the leaves with one hand but then sniff the other! Ha ha ha! Which reminds me of this kid from America's Funniest Home Videos who licks his one hand but then uses the other to turn the magazine page. πŸ˜‚

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It's been so beautiful in Manheim the last few days, so I was happy to let Junie wander around outside before we paid for our items. After all, there was a giant gravel area outside and how. can. you. not. play in it?

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So, there you have it. Just a little bit of what my day looked like. I am really looking forward to planting everything we bought today and seeing how the entire garden turns out. I learned a lot last year about which areas get the best sun, what we wished we'd planted more of, and which flowers did well in the heat. I'll share more with ya'll when I've started planting!

Are you planting anything this year? I'd love to know!

Also, if you're local - check out The Flower Wagon in Manheim, PA. Crazy low prices on the best stuff!

In HOME Tags Gardening, Flowers, Backyard, Outdoors
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7 Items You Should Thrift for Your Home

Brooke Courtney April 25, 2017

If you've been around here for any amount of time, it should come as no surprise to you that I love to go thrifting. Finding amazing, unique items at second hand shops, for a fraction of their original price, is one of my favorite things to do. Digging through the bins and shelves is like a treasure hunt and I almost always walk away with something I didn't even know I needed. πŸ˜‰

In recent years, I have also come to love that thrifting supports local businesses. T.J. and I are all about our small town of Manheim, PA. We shop at our local farmers market and hardware store, and have worked hard to intentionally keep our growing business (walk in love.) in Manheim. In addition to thrifting, I'd encourage to find ways to support your town -- hire a local guy to fix your front porch, switch to local insurance, or make an effort to attend the next community event that's taking place.

Okay, enough about my love for small business, back to thrifting! Sometimes it isn't much fun at all. Sometimes everything is gross and junky, and it can be really hard to know what to look for if you don't shop often enough to have a running inventory of your house/closet and know your style. For any of you who might feel this way, I've compiled a list of 7 Things You Should Thrift For Your Home if you're a thrifting-newbie, all while you work to figure out how thrifting fits into your lifestyle! (You can also check out my original post 10 Tips To Thrift, from a few years ago!)

1. BASKETS

You can't have enough of them. Well, at least not enough of the large ones. The bigger ones might be a little harder to find, but when you do, they're usually around $6. Which is a steal compared to the large storage baskets at Target or Home Goods for $35+!

Uses: toy storage, shoe storage, blanket storage, a planter for larger plants, a laundry basket.

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2. BLANKETS

For all seasons, I find myself reaching into my linen closet, pulling out blanket after blanket, each different in texture, style and color, each adding personality and warmth to our home. Just last month I used one to make a fort for June and she played underneath it for hours! 

Uses: bedspread, picnic blanket, table cloth, fort, or even used as fabric to re-cover something.

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3. CATCH-ALLS

I recently had to stop buying catch-all dishes because I'd get sucked into "how cute they" are every time, and realized I had no actual storage for my belongings, but instead just cute little dishes to throw everything into. 😹 I no longer have more than one catch-all dish in each room - the perfect about.

Uses: above your kitchen sink for coins and jewelry, next to your bed for earrings, bobby pins and spare change, or on your "landing table" (where the mail, etc goes) for keys, thumb drives and restaurant gift cards. Near washer/dryer.

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4. GLASS JARS + CONTAINERS

There are two lovely things about glass jars/vases. First, how differently they can be used throughout each season. I have a bunch of glass jars/containers that I've used in our bathroom for years - holding everything from nail polish to our toothbrushes, which was a $10 or less project! My assorted mason jars have held flowers, lightening bugs, drinks, food, and more. Secondly, glass always feels light and timeless. I'd encourage you to gravitate towards clear class, without etching or hand painted designs, as it will work in all areas of your home much easier.

Uses: uhmmm, pretty much anything. My personal favorite is bathroom/vanity organization. It's just so pretty! (And easy to run through the dishwasher every few months to keep 'em sparkly clean.)

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5. BOOKS

I read once that "a home without books is a body without soul." And while I'm not the most avid of readers, I do agree. They have a sense of home, belonging and history to them. The act as visual weight, a way to show your personality, and if nothing else, are a relatively cheap way to fill your bookshelf. You can group books in small piles on your nightstand to add height and visual interest, or pair everything down to only a few in your favorite colors. You can put them on your shelf forwards or backwards, wrap them in paper, or only purchases ones that have beautiful typography on the spines. You can set them on a floating shelf where they forward facing, allowing the book cover to act as wall art. (Perfect for a kid's room!) It's up to you!

At least half of the books on the shelf in our living room are from thrift stores. Not to mention all the books you can't see shoved behind the closing doors!

Uses: Decoration. And knowledge. 😊

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6. KID'S TOYS

For the longest time I was worried that thrifting toys for June would be, in the words of Kelly Kapoor from the Office, "digusto-barfo." However, almost anything can be washed in the dishwasher, washing machine or soaked and set out to sanitize in the sun. I would say that over half of June's toys are from thrift stores. It's allowed me to "test out" toys for much, much cheaper price. Thrifted toys have given me a way to surprise my daughter with something "new" for literally a few dollars or less. 

Look for: Puzzles, games, educational toys, cars, animals, pull toys, bath toys.

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7. DISHES + KITCHENWARE

Last, but certainly not least, is kitchenware. This is probably my favorite thrifting category. 😍 For as much as I love stores like Target, I love even more the personality and history older dishes, canisters, mugs and S&P shakers bring to a kitchen. Mixing old with the new is one of the quickest and most satisfying ways to make your home feel like home. Look for pieces that align with the style of your kitchen and home -- mid century, modern, farmhouse, rustic, etc. And then find a few pieces that make no sense at all but you. love. them. That's what really matters!

Look for: flatware, canisters, cheese platter + appetizer trays, coffee mugs that make you smile, cake pans, etc.

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In ADVICE, HOME Tags Thrifting, Vintage
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A Trip to the Greenhouse

Brooke Courtney February 3, 2017

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel totally crazy because it's still cold, and wintery, and everyone I know (ourselves included) is sick right now!?! Gah!

June, bless her heart, asks to go to the park every single day, but it's just too cold, or too wet to be able to play outside.. So, this morning, she and I took a little trip to one of the local greenhouses - to breathe in the fresh air, see all of the pretty plants, and get some of her energy out. I think I needed it just as much as she did. I just kept saying to her, "Look! Everything is soooo green! And, not... dead." Then she started saying, "Dead?" and pointing to different things and I figured, ehhh... I better stop saying that. πŸ˜‚

She stayed in the cart for a little while, but quickly realized there were puddles to splash around in and wanted out immediately! She also kept asking me if I needed to put the "lid" (lens cap) back on my camera. So cute.

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June will be two years old next weekend (gasp!!), and all she wants to talk about is colors. Colors of crayons, and birds, and food, and blankets, and animals. Needless to say, she was pumped up about all the different cactus colors. She just stood there pointing at each one, saying "ohhh, pink!", "ohhh, yeyloww", "ohhh, bwue!"

(Note: her sweet little cheeks with a rash from being sick.)

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We stomped in puddles for a long time, walked up and down each aisle over and over again, and she pointed out every single lawn ornament animal and made the sounds to go with them. πŸ˜‚ Ribbit, ribbit!

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Eventually we wandered over to where all of the planters and pots are, and she pointed out each color, clapping for herself when she got it right. I dreamt about filling my front and pack porch with 5,000 potted plants. Seems like a realistic goal.

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If you're ever looking for something to do with your kids on a rainy day, or when it's just too cold out to function, check out your local greenhouse! I always leave feeling refreshed, with a brown bag full of plants. No complaints here. 

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June and I visited Esbenshade's Garden Center and Greenhouse in Lititz, PA. But you can Google "Greenhouses Near Me" and find your own!

In HOME, GARDEN Tags Greenhouse, Gardening, Flowers
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Wake Up Better | Tuft & Needle

Brooke Courtney October 13, 2016

I'm just going to come right out and say it, this mattress has been LIFE. CHANGING. Okay, okay, I know that sounds over-the-top, but seriously, it's been amazing. Several months ago when I started to makeover our master bedroom for method, both T.J. and I knew we needed a new mattress. We'd been sleeping on the same IKEA one for seven years, and while we loved it back when we purchased it, it wasn't giving us the good sleep we really needed. T.J. was getting, at times, several migraines a week related to back and neck problems. Something had to change!

Enter: Tuft & Needle. Insert: All the heart eyes!

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Our mattress arrived in the mail, vacuum sealed in a box! It sounds impossible, but it's not. Welcome to the future my friends.

T.J. and I unrolled the mattress onto our new Ikea bed frame, cut off the plastic, and within a few minutes we had a full blown queen size mattress! As you can see in the one photo above, there is a nice layer of pillow top foam on the top. When I first sat down on the mattress, I was worried it was too soft, since I prefer a firm mattress. But once I laid down, dannnnnngggg... it's amazing, and the adaptive foam is just right. We've been sleeping on the mattress for almost three months now and I'm thrilled to say that T.J. has only had one headache since then! His neck and shoulder pain have almost completely gone away. #murrracle

While June doesn't sleep with us, she's been loving the new mattress as well. She currently lovesssss to play under the covers. She'll sit under there all alone, and then start calling for herself, like we call for her. "Juuuuuuune? Juuuuune?" It's quite possibly the cutest thing of all time.

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All Tuft & Needle mattresses are designed and crafted in the U.S. (U-S-A! U-S-A!) You can read all about their story, products and even watch an unboxing video on their website.

Or you can just look at more cute photos of June having the time of her life on our bed.

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If you're in the market for a new mattress sometime soon, I'd seriously suggest trying a Tuft & Needle mattress. You're welcome to come over and lay on mine for a few minutes if that'd help. πŸ˜‚ You can help June look for the kitty-cats under the bed too, while you're here.

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Disclosure: I was given a Tuft & Needle mattress in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Bedframe: Ikea | Mattress: Tuft & Needle | Sheets: Target | June's PJs: Old Navy | Kitty Doll: @bunniclub | Feel free to comment with any questions you might have!

In HOME Tags Bedroom, Home, Sponsored, Tuft & Needle, Mattress, Partner
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That Front Porch Life

Brooke Courtney September 23, 2016

I have always wanted a front porch to live on - to sip iced coffees, and read books, and have long afternoon conversations on. A porch to hand out Halloween candy from, decorate for Christmas and dry pool towels on in the heat of summer. I mean, technically we've always had a front porch. When we moved in to our little 1929 house seven years ago, the front porch was sufficient, but missing a railing. It left you feeling very open and exposed if you sat out there in your morning pajamas, or jammie-jams as we call them in our house, which wasn't very enjoyable. Years went by and we basically never used our front porch.

BUT NOT ANYMORE! Last fall, our talented friend Josh built us a porch railing and I'm so in love with it. I'm obsessed with the way it looks and the design he came up with. My only instructions to him were "something horizontal and stripe-y", while waving my hands side to side real fast, trying to picture what it would look like completed. πŸ˜‚ Not only did we need a railing period, I also wanted it to look more modern and "us" than something we could have picked out at a local hardware store. Again, I'm so thrilled with how it turned out!

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I'd been in the market for a baby gate for awhile when Munchkin reached out to partner up and promote their Vibe Baby Gate. It couldn't have been more perfect timing. June adores being outside and playing on our porch, I however, do not adore the idea of her falling down the porch steps, or climbing down them and half way across the block while I pop back inside for an iced coffee refill. I really didn't want to put a gate out there that was, for lack of a better word, ugly. Ha ha! Enter: the Vibe.

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The weather has been beautiful lately. Yesterday we were out on the front porch for almost two hours playing with toys, reading books, eating snacks, pointing at airplanes, and all of it made my Momma heart so happy. Note June's dirty little feet in the photo below... I just... I can't even... πŸ˜

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One of my favorite things about the Vibe gate, besides how sturdy it is, is the mesh panel in the middle. Hello privacy. Not only does the color of the gate happen to match our front porch perfectly - like, weirdly perfectly - the clean and modern design fits seamlessly with our new railing. Amazing. Knowing the front porch is safe for June has quite literally added a whole new room to our house during the warmer months.

If you're in the market for a baby gate, I'd highly suggest Munchkin's Vibe Gate. It's baller. (Register for it if you're expecting, too!)

June's neighbor and bestie, Clara, came over yesterday to play. June was pumped up when she saw Kim and Clara coming across the street. I love watching her get so excited about things!

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Now that kids are back in school, June loves watching the school buses drive by our house every afternoon. I picked up a toy school bus at a thrift store this week for $2.75 and she loves it. When they drive by she claps and yells "YAY!" for them, like it's a parade.

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Clara has started giving kisses and leans in with this face when she wants to give you one. πŸ˜‚ It's so cute. I can't imagine not having awesome neighbors like we do. You have no idea how often Kim and I text each other with "Can my kid come over and stare at yours?" when we're trying to keep them awake, busy or are just looking for an excuse to eat cookies together.

I'm already thinking about how I want to decorate the porch for fall. And Halloween. And Christmas. And next spring...  And then I get thinking about our back deck and all the possibilities that holds if we get that redone! (It's currently really ugly and sinking into the ground. For reals. πŸ˜‚) Dinner parties and sandboxes and comfy chairs and all. the. plants. Next year!

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This post was sponsored by Munchkin. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting my blog and the awesome people who sponsor it.

In HOME, LIFE Tags Front Porch, House Tour, Outdoors, Sponsored, Partner, Munchkin
1 Comment

Our Bedroom Makeover with method | #fearnomess

Brooke Courtney September 6, 2016

I want to start off by letting you all know that I am partnering with method on this post, and although this content is sponsored, all opinions are my own. With that in mind, let me tell you that I freakin' love method. Just come over and dig through my closets (or my shopping cart at Target) and that'll be confirmed. Soaps and cleaners and dishwasher pods, each smelling better than the last. So, naturally, I was honored when method reached out and challenged me to #fearnomess. It's also not a surprise that when I thought about a mess, I instantly thought about our bedroom. πŸ˜¬

Our bedroom has long been the forgotten room in our home. Over time, every other piece of dark/black furniture in our house has been replaced, except our bed frame -- which left our bedroom feeling darker than I'd like and heavy. Our room gets beautiful morning light, but I just felt like nothing was pulled together, the room was boring, and it was always messy... which I'm sure you can see for yourself in the "before" images below.

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Insert the #fearnomess challenge and I was READY. TO. GO. Get a fresh looking bedroom and have it smell like magical clementine in the process? Win, win.

We started by taking almost everything out of the room, stripping the linens off our bed, and taking apart the old bed frame. Behind the bed, which probably hadn't been cleaned in yearrrrrs, was so gross. Under our bed was more mess - bobby pins, books, toys, wrappers. πŸ˜‚

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Once the old bed frame was out of the way, I got to work cleaning. And I washed everything. Even the walls, which were so dusty and gross. Our house was built in 1929 and most of the walls are plaster.... giving them just enough texture to hold onto dust and dirt over time. After about an hour of cleaning, the room looked and smelled amazing, we were ready to start bringing the fun projects into the room!

Note: Penny looking down in judgement at the floor while I clean. June smacking T.J. on the head for comedic value, saying "boinggggg". And T.J. cassssually posing with the all-purpose cleaner while I'm trying to take my "before" photos.

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Years ago we replaced a heavy and dated looking built in bookshelf in our room with this mantle that I found at a yard sale down the block for only $12! And ever since, I've wanted to add the faux brick inside the mantle. So, T.J. took out the boring piece of plywood that had been there, and we replaced it the brick! I love it. It adds so much more character to the mantle!

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While I put two coats of white paint on the new mantle insert, T.J. started building our new bed from Ikea. Once that was complete, we unboxed our amazing new mattress from Tuft & Needle (more on this to come!).

I knew I wanted our room to feel lighter and brighter, but I also wanted it to have more personality. For being a photographer, I barely have any photos printed and hanging in our home. (Womp, womp.) I printed one of my favorite photos of June, from our trip to Hawaii, along with one of her iPad drawings and made plexi glass frames for them. (Tutorial to come +)

Then I gathered a handful of terra cotta pots from our yard/garage, washed them off and drew on them with a sharpie paint pen. Seriously, there isn't anything you can't make cooler with a sharpie paint pen.

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Other than our mantle, there really wasn't any furniture in our room that could hold plants, photos, books, etc. So I decided to make a table! Well, I decided to screw together a few pieces of wood and attach them to these awesome hairpin legs we already had lying around. Since I already had the legs, the whole project only cost me $4.34! Yasssssss.

Once the table was in place, I placed the gallery wall frames into a design on my bed, and then transferred that layout to the wall above said table. Finally! Some personality in our room! I also framed two polaroids of T.J. and myself that we took of one another on our 2nd date. πŸ˜

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With the frames in place, I added the final artwork, and the remainder of finishing touches on the room! And before we knew it - voila! - a brand new bedroom. TAKE THAT MESS!

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I have always loved that method is animal friendly. Their products are formulated to put the hurt on dirty without harming furry friends - which, in our case, is four cats. I am in full support of no animal testing or animal bi-products. Yay method!

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And of course I had to have lots of thrifted items in the new room. So, here's a quick list of those items: night stands, peacock chair, velvet pillows, terra cotta pots, basket for cactus, horse book ends, basket for our shoes (below table), vintage bed spread and the pineapple dish on my nightstand!

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I found a free image of horses online and fell in love with the idea of printing it really big, in black and white, to frame above the mantle! I took the file to Office Max and had them print it on their blueprint printer and it only cost me $2.08. That's my kinda art!

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I love waking up every morning to see the gallery wall with June's art and picture, along with some of my favorite pieces from friends, in our ever-growing art collection.

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Well, there you have it! I hope this makeover inspires you to tackle whatever it is in your home that you think is a total mess. You can do it! I believe in you! Just drink lots of iced coffee and spray everything in sight with that magical smelling method cleaner and it'll all turn out awesome. πŸ˜ƒ

I'd love to know what part of the bedroom makeover was your favorite, too! The table? The art? Leo hanging out on the bed like a king? Yeah, that's my favorite thing too.

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In HOME, DIY Tags DIY, Bedroom, House Tour, Sponsored, Partner
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brookecourtneykitchen

Kitchen / Before + Progress

Brooke Courtney June 24, 2016

There is something just so magical about before and after photos, on any subject really - food, houses, weight loss, organization. If you're anything like me though, you know that nothing is ever really done. And I don't mean that I don't finish things, I do!, just that... my house is always evolving to be more like who I am, who we are as a family, and what our current needs are. I swap artwork and pillows and decor around all the time. Which is why I'm calling this post "Kitchen: Before + Progress". So, here is the one before photo I snapped - unfortunately after the wall between the two rooms already came down! But what a difference already, right!?!? (I promise to get better at taking before photos for all future house projects!)

From the very day we moved into our house (October 2009), we always knew we wanted the wall to come down between the dining room and our tiny kitchen. But until we could make that happen, our dining room was painted white to brighten up the space, and our kitchen was painted to look more like the 1950s, with the powder blue cabinets and sunny pop of yellow above. When we first moved in the kitchen was shades of tan with forrest green trim straight out of the 1990s. It was bad. I have photos of this somewhere, but can't seem to find them currently.

Anyway, fast forward to fall of 2015 and we asked Josh Strayer, of Home Improvement Services, to do a few projects on our house for us - the biggest one of which was our kitchen remodel.

Here's a rough breakdown of what did:

  • Removed the wall between the dining room and living room.
  • Custom "island" counter with storage below and bar top seating on the other side.
  • A dishwasher installed under new countertop!!!!!!!! (Suck it, sink!)
  • Replaced the small existing counter tops around sink area to match new counters.
  • New oven (it just so happened to crap-out the week we were buying the dishwasher!)
  • White subway tile backsplash was installed floor to ceiling on the wall with the oven.
  • Painted lower cabinets Space Black by Benjamin Moore.
  • Painted upper cabinets and walls Bright White - straight off the shelves at Home Depot (Behr).
  • Added a small cupboard for storage in the "dead space" above the refrigerator.
  • Added additional outlets and a dimmer.
  • Had an outlet installed high in the wall, knowing we wanted to plug in our cord lights that we wrapped around the pipe/fixture we made.
  • Changed out all hardware to be brass. (Planning to change out sink faucet soon, too!)
  • Replaced the boob-light in the kitchen to match the existing dining room light (from Ikea.)

Happy to report that with all those changes, this is what our kitchen looks like on an average day.

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We honestly can't say enough times how much we love it. It literally changed our entire house. Removing the wall brought so much light, and life, to the kitchen. I can now cook and prep food and not feel like I'm all alone, shut in behind the wall. We've already had more people over for dinner in 2016 than we ever did.... like, ever before. Haha!

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Adding the dishwasher was equally life changing. Dishwashers are amazing. They like.. wash your dishes while you sleep. And then you get up and BAM! they're clean. #magic

Adding the new white countertops was one of my favorite choices we made. It's so bright and allows for lots of Instagramming and food photography to happen easily. So worth it. I also love that adding the new countertops raised our existing sink. It now feels like more of a feature of our kitchen, where before it got a little lost over there in the corner. Our house has a lot of that 1929 charm, which is why we bought it in the first place, so keeping the original sink and cabinetry was always part of the plan.

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I'm really looking forward to continuing to host dinners, add a little artwork here and there and eventually decorate the new kitchen for Christmas. I'll be sure to share more "progress" photos when I do.

Feel free to comment, or contact me, with any questions you might have about our little kitchen update! And for one last whoa ... here they are side by side. 

In HOME Tags Kitchen, Before and After, House Project, House Tour
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Rattan Children's Chair for June!

Brooke Courtney June 7, 2016

You better believe I just about leapt over all the things in my way when I spotted this amazing children's sized rattan chair in the back corner of a thrift store a few weeks ago. I hadn't been having much luck all day and then bam!, there it was in all it's glory. And only $15 for that matter! I'm certain I would have paid twice as much, but obviously am thrilled that I didn't have to.

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I love to thrift all sorts of things, but what I would call "secondary" furniture is always some of my favorite find! Things like end tables, chairs, shelves, plant stands, etc. (That's not to say that you can't thrift something like your couch or bed, but I simply haven't found those worth purchasing.)

I also love that thrifting items allows me to try out new styles and decades for our home. More than once I have thrifted an item that I wasn't totally sure about, ended up loving it, and then we upgraded to something very similar from a newer store - like Ikea, or West Elm or something!

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Our front porch is pretty empty right now, minus the house plants I have moved outdoors for the summer, and June's new little chair. Furniture for the entire front porch is currently on my "things to thrift list" and the hunt is going well! Just need to find a few more items and then I'll be able to call it done! (At least for this season.πŸ˜‰ )

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Chair - Vintage / June's Headband - Iris & Lark / Plant Stands - Vintage / Garden Boots - Target / Pacifier Clip - Ryan & Rose

In HOME Tags Front Porch, Outdoors, Thrifting, June
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