Mailboxes

If you didn't know by now- I am a little excited that RH has "planted" my mailbox.

But I also noted that numbers are located on the garage only and not on the mailbox.  I had noticed one of my neighbors had lovely stenciled lettering on the side of their mailbox and had thought that RH homes provides this for ALL mailboxes.  I was wrong.  I knew I was wrong as I took a closer inspection of the mailboxes in my neighborhood and noticed that a few of them had that blocky stick on numbers you get from Home Depot and not the pretty calligraphy invested in by my neighbor.   

In a quest to do something just as pretty as my neighbor  I started searching Pintrest boards and quickly found what I needed on my favorite handmade site, Etsy. 

Here are a few of my finds.   Which one would you vote for?

All of these are from one company back40life.  I like the styles and I like the fact that I can get 2 sides for $15.   In addition I am impressed with the nearly 12K sales, which for me says that they are doing something right.  I will continue to look but I doubt I will find something better.  

Are they done yet?

No- but I am getting little batty waiting for my wonderful home to be completed.  And I thought the wait for them to break ground was bad!
In the mean time in my minds eye, I have been decorating the boys room.  Their rooms are simple- dark wood furniture and their favorite sports teams: Eagles and the Phillies.  On that note look at what I found at our local Target:

These canvas prints are just the thing at $40.  I still want to get one of these Fathead murals:

Still would have to figure out a good paint color for the walls- but I got a year to work on that, sigh.

I would love to have something like this for their beds.  The trundle bed feature would be great for when one of their friends wants to sleep over.  

I am also came across some other printed canvases that just brought out the tom boy in me

Maybe these can go in our basement.  I really like the look of the Spider and Captain America comic book cover.  

For the Interior Decorating Impaired

If you have been following this blog for a bit you know I have repeatedly said I am no good at interior decorating.   I know what appeals to my eye but how to put together myself well........

This is not my current home- just an example of what I usually accomplish 

Drab, bland with very little interest to the room.  And thus the reason for hiring someone to help me pull it together.  That's when I ran across this article from Houzz.  It does some great work of breaking down of where to begin  and how to set it all up.  By the way- join Houzz!  It's a great website and app for everything and anything for your home. 

If you still need help planning your space- get your iPad involved. 

This app is one of the best as you can adjust for YOUR floor plan.  Don't like this app- well just search for Interior Design and I am quite sure you will find something that fits your needs. 

What ever you do- don't feel like you have to rush to get that decorated model home look. Easier said than done.  Take your time- you are planning on living in this home for some time, why not enjoy the process? 

For those of you have this decorating thing done pat- any other tips or tricks you would like to share?  Help us non DIY, non decorating folk out!

Temporary Blinds and Vertical Gardens

I wish I knew about this when I purchased my first home!  While we were discussing the need for window treatments, an interior designer informed me about temporary shades or blinds.  Excuse me?  Yep just purchase them at Lowe's or Home Depot.

When I got home I searched the web and sure enough there is such a thing and best yet the only install tools you need is a pencil and sharp scissors or a box cutter.  Wow! Now I don't have to rush to get my home set up.  But now the decision is which one?  I have narrowed it down to two major companies: Redi Shade and Quick Fix Instant Blinds.  Installation is the same for both but one uses clips to hold the blinds in place after install and the other an adjustable cord.

I am leaning towards the Quick Fix as I am looking for something durable (able to withstand my children) while we take our time to make our house a home.

In other news- I want a vertical garden.  Okay I didn't want a vertical garden until I saw this:

Isn't it cute?  Except that some of the reviews are not so good, like ease of watering, construction and the fact that sometimes the water drips on the wall.  But I still love the look of it.  Fresh herbs for cooking masquerading as art.  I still may get the Aerogarden (yes that thing is still around) so I can grow my herbs, start some lavender and keep fresh spinach and maybe strawberries around.  Oh, and I also ran across a post about growing your own lemons indoors

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-plant-and-keep-an-indoo-108900

Can you imagine the fresh smells in my house if I can pull this off?  Rosemary, Mint, Thyme and Lemons, yummy.  What herbs would you grow? Will you try the lemon tree?