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House & Bounty

Welcome to November

November 4, 2019

Just like any good Midwesterner, my favorite season is fall and I relish in the beautiful foliage and perfect hiking weather. I get my pumpkin candles out and burn them all day. But it’s all going by too damn fast this year and Christmas feels like it’s just a few moments away. I always viewed November as the “Welcoming to the Holidays” month. It’s like the opening act before the big show. When I was younger, I tried to rush it away and fast forward to the good stuff. Now I’m the opposite– I just want to make it last as long as possible.

Enough of the sentimentality. All I wanted to do is share some interesting things that have caught my attention this past week.

The China Connection: How One DEA Agent Cracked a Global Fentanyl Ring: As a mom, the opening story scares the shit out of me. As you continue to read, you’ll learn how easy the internet has made drug trafficking, the rampant/crazy business of shell companies in China and why Fentanyl is such a dangerous drug.

Why Teachers Are So Excited About the Power of SketchNoting: I didn’t even know SketchNoting was a thing but I instantly connected with the idea. It makes perfect sense to me and my visual brain. I can’t wait to read more about it. This article is a good introduction. Don’t skip the embedded video.

Life Will Be the Death of Me, By Chelsea Handler: I’ve read her other books but this is by far my favorite. If you want to read about someone coming to terms with their “shit”, opening up to new possibilities and laughing a little than this would be great book for you. Her other books were always funny but this makes her more human, likable and soft. I also started following her Instagram because of this book. I highly recommend her family meeting videos.

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Real Emotions

October 25, 2019

How I Feel

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4 Easy Pop Culture Halloween Costumes

October 22, 2019

Happy Halloween! If you’re like me and don’t want to buy a costume that you’ll wear exactly once for Halloween then consider dressing up like a pop culture icon using clothes/accessories that you can use time and time again.

I chose 4 women that I admire to inspire my Halloween costumes. Not only are they women I respect but each has their own personal style that could easily be translated into costumes. Another huge bonus, all of these can be made into couple costumes!

Joanna Gaines: Magnolia Hat, Leather Earrings, Plaid Shirt, Jeans, Sketch Book
Duchess of Sussex: Black Fascinator, Midi Dress (similar, similar), Black Pump, Black Thin Belt, Clutch

First, we have Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper. I chose a plaid button-up shirt to pair with skinny jeans. Throw in some key accessories like the Magnolia Hat (or any distressed baseball hat), leather earrings and a sketchbook to really drive home the look. Dress your hubby in jeans, a demo day t-shirt and tool belt and the couple costume is complete.

Next is Meghan Markle or the Duchess of Sussex. Man, she’s had a rough year with continuous attacks from the press, but that doesn’t stop her from looking fabulous. For her, I recreated the Givenchy dress outfit that she wore to the opening of The Mersey Gateway. I found a dress in blush pink with an adorable capelet that gives the same silhouette. Add a skinny black belt, black pumps and, just for fun, a fascinator to emphasize the British-ness of the costume. Add a man in a slim-fitted suit and a baby for the perfect look.

Mindy Kaling: Earrings, Dress, Clutch, Neon Pumps
Elizabeth Warren: Gold Studs, Rimless Glasses, Black T-Shirt, Black Dress Pants, Blazer

Mindy Kaling is one of my favorite people, not only because she is hilarious, but she has such a fun, colorful approach to fashion. She loves bright colors and doesn’t shy away from patterns. For her costume, I chose a neon yellow, black and pink striped dress with neon yellow shoes and a chevron clutch. Finish the outfit with some hoop earrings and you’re set. Big bonus to anyone who can have their husband dress like BJ Novak and gaze at you with pure love at every chance he gets.

Last, we have Elizabeth Warren. Her look is easy and each piece can be worn in your everyday life. She always wears black dress pants, a black t-shirt and a jewel tone blazer. Add some classic round gold stud earrings and rimless glasses and you’ve got Elizabeth Warren. I think an important accessory for you to include would be your phone. Just walk around with the phone to your mouth calling donors, get all giddy and talk policy with them. If you’re interested in a couple costume, consider her bff Bernie Sanders. His crazy hair and big hands could be fun to recreate.

This post contains some affiliated links. If you choose to purchase anything that is an affiliated link, I earn a small portion of the sales. This helps support the website. Thanks for your support!

Filed in: Uncategorized • by Jenny • 2 Comments

(Re)Starting Something New

October 13, 2019

 

I’ve had a series of starts and stops with online blogs over the last 10 years. Each time I would start excited but it wouldn’t be long until I began to feel apprehensive and doubt that I had anything to offer the internet. Ultimately, I would abandon many of my (internet) projects because I convinced myself that those things had no value to others. In the instances where I felt really good about the ideas, they were interesting and unique enough, I soon became worried that others would criticize or ostracize them, call me stupid, a poor writer or one of the other 100 things I was insecure about. 

However, each time my vision would get a little clearer. I would find my voice a little better and my perseverance would be a little stronger. Starting something new has rarely been a problem for me. The excitement surrounding the new idea or project often propels me forward but what becomes my failing is my own criticism and fear. The flame of excitement can easily be extinguished by our own thoughts. It took me a long time to learn how to calm that negative voice in my head. 

How will this blog be different? I’m not sure yet. I just know that for the first time I am more myself rather than pretending to be what I think others want me to be. Maybe that is the elusive confidence women report to find in their 30’s or maybe I know and trust myself more than I had done each of those other times. Maybe my desired to do something is stronger or maybe my expectations are a little different. The reason doesn’t really matter– I’m just happy to be doing it.

I simultaneously feel no pressure and lots of pressure. The caliber of content being created in the home blog space is high. Without any formal training, I’m only going by instincts. I also don’t have a huge budget. So in many ways, I make the best of situations instead of just throwing money at the problems. Due to this, I worry I will not be able to compete with someone with deeper pockets, more sponsorships, and more experience. However, it pushes me to want to be better and create excellent content. It makes me study all my photographs to make sure they feel professional. It makes me curate what I put on the website more than I may have in the past. However, I also feel that this is just for me. It’s for me to have fun and be creative, something I don’t get to do at my day job. It’s a way to think about things I care about and chronicle different parts of my life. When I put it in that context, it makes me feel free to just do what I want with little pressure. 

Never the less, I love the fresh start of a new beginning. It reminds me of college freshman so full of hope, ambition, and dreams. Dreams that haven’t been chipped away by setbacks, negativity, and bad luck. Their dreams and ambitions are pure, fresh and invigorating. Yes, that is how many beginnings start and I’m glad to say that’s how this feels for me too. 

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Instagram

It's finished! My MIL's laundry is all done and sh It's finished! My MIL's laundry is all done and she is very happy with how it turned out.
We had to put our problem-solving hats on this wee We had to put our problem-solving hats on this week. As we fitted the first piece of beadboard, we realized that the floor was sloped and the baseboards were uneven. So when we rested the beadboard on the baseboard, it was unlevel. We actually called it a day without finishing any work and went home to think about how we could tackle this problem. We came up with three possible solutions. Swipe to see what we considered doing (spoiler alert - we went with option number three!). 

#orcfall2021 #orc #laundryroommakeover #diytips #beadboard
The wallpaper is installed! It came out wonderfull The wallpaper is installed! It came out wonderfully and is holding up great so far (many loads of laundry have been washed and dried and the wallpaper looks exactly the same as the day it was installed). Of course,  I made a cartoon because that's what I do when I wallpaper. 

#OneRoomChallenge #OneRoomChallenge2021 #laundryroommakeover #wallpaperlaundryroom #cartoon
The design plan is up on the blog! This time arou The design plan is up on the blog!  This time around I'm using one of my favorite wallpapers and I can't wait to see how the room comes together.  Right now,  the room looks worse than when we started (swipe for the pictures). 😬 But that's part of the process,  right?? 

#OneRoomChallenge #OneRoomChallenge2021 #orcfall2021 #orc #laundryroommakeover #diywallpaper #diyhomeimprovement
I'm back again for another one room challenge! Thi I'm back again for another one room challenge! This time we're renovating a laundry room for a client (really just my mother-in-law!). On the blog,  I take you through the design process that I've used for myself the last couple of years and how it played out with this project.

#OneRoomChallenge #OneRoomChallenge2021 #laundryroommakeover #smalllaundryroom #interiordesignprocess 
#orcfall2021
The Halloween season is upon us! That means pumpki The Halloween season is upon us! That means pumpkins as decorations and Halloween costumes! Every year I come up with 4 super easy costumes that I would totally wear. One is always a famous interior designer. It's super niche, but hey, that is part of the fun! Check out the blog for 2021 costume ideas.   

#halloweendecorations #halloweencostume #falldecor #falldecorations #pumpkin
The dining room renovation is all done! It was a s The dining room renovation is all done! It was a slow process as Jeremy and I wanted to make sure the board and batten was just right. In the end, the room feels completely transformed, and we are enjoying our "new" dining room. Don't forget to check out the before picture to see how far it's come. Lots more information and pictures on the blog. 

#beforeandafter #beforeandafterinteriors #diningroom #diningroom #diningroomdecor #diningroomdesign #diningroominspo #homerenovation
It's funny what little things in life make me happ It's funny what little things in life make me happy. Recently, it has been wallpaper samples. I spent the last couple of weeks searching for affordable green geometric wallpapers for an upcoming project. I quickly added 15+ samples to my shopping cart but eventually narrowed it down to the top 7. While you can peek at some of the samples I ordered above; I wrote a post on my blog with all my favorite ones. Bonus – All the wallpapers are non-woven and unpasted. I have found this type of wallpaper to be really DIY-friendly.  More project details to come soon! 

#wallpaperdecor
#modernwallpaper
#diywallpaper
#wallpaper
#wallpapers

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