Five on Friday

 Happy Friday!

I hope everyone had a great week.  :)  

I thought I'd be a little different for this Five on Friday.  

The kids and I recently ventured out of town to head to some of the best stores ever in the history of....ummm...ever - Target, TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby, Bed Bath and Beyond, Michael's, etc. 

While we were out I took some snapshots of some inspirational products that could perhaps also be future DIY projects.  Let me warn you that I took these pics with my IG camera on my phone, soooo they're a tad grainy.

Are you ready?

Let's go shopping!

These cute chalkboard paint tag labels are from Bed Bath and Beyond.  They seem like they'd be a quick and easy DIY!  Plus, they'd look ah-dorable at a par-tay!

I'm sure you've seen these Life Is Better At The Lake signs or signs similar to these on Pinterest.  

A board or two or three, some paint and stencils.  Bam!  Done!  

This is also from Bed Bath and Beyond.

This framed nautical flag decor is from Target.  This, I'm guessing, would entail a little labor.  Finding the right fabric, cutting, sewing, gluing...  

However, the finished product would look adorable in a little boy's room!

Okay...so two-for-one here - found at Michael's.  

See that world art?  Aaaaaaand...

See that rope mirror?  Yes!  

Both of these products could really dress up a room!  The "world art" is inspiring me to do something similar except I'd make it a little more nautical.

Lastly, this cutie is from Target.  I love the words and it's simplicity.  

Shopping sure is fun, isn't it?  I don't go shopping often, but when I do I love to shop for home decor and items/clothes for my kids.  How do you shop?  Where are your favorite stores?  

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Marie :)

I'm linking up with, Darci, April, Natasha, and Christina for the Five on Friday link-up Paaaaarty!

I'm linking up with A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals, and Grace and Love for my Friday Favorites!

I'm linking up with September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for the Oh Hey Friday linky party!

The BEST Board and Batten Tutorials

As you may know, our guest bathroom recently received a mini-makeover for around $200 (a little over the original budget - I blame the must-have-sorta-expensive-but-on-sale hooks).

Oh...and I did 99.9% of it by myself!   *pats self on back*

One of the design elements that I wanted to incorporate was board and batten.  I loooove me some board and batten!  It needed to be in our house and it needed be here yesterday!  LOL!  I figured I'd try it myself so that I wouldn't have to nag Jon to do it for me (<---I kid. I kid.) could slowly continue to absorb more of these features throughout the house when I get some free time...or when The Bachelor ended.  Ahem...

I needed a place to "practice" board and batten installation and the dark, lonely and oh-so-sad basement guest bathroom seemed to be the perfect place for me to "learn" and "practice" the process.

So, how did it go, you ask?

Guys, it was super easy!  It was cheap, it was simple and it has dramatically changed the look of the bathroom.  Dark and dingy no more!  

Now, let me tell you that I was intimidated, but I was determined!

So I went downstairs, eyeballed the height that was needed, then I measured, measured again, measured one more time, and measured again...just to be safe.  Then, I gathered the kiddos and off we went to Home Depot.

Sidenote:  Thank goodness for the "choo choo train carts" - as my kids like to call them.  You know, the grocery carts with seats that are specifically made for children so that you can fit more in your cart?!  If it weren't for those carts, I would never attempt to go anywhere, ever at anytime.  For realz.

Anyhoo, I gathered all the supplies/wood and then I had a super nice Home Depot guy cut the wood for me.  Who needs a saw?  ;)

Easy Peasy.

All this to say...I don't have a personalized tutorial for you.  Sad face.

I would love to show you my very own tutorial, but the pictures I took weren't the best....see above....and I never took step by step photographs.  Bad Blogger.  Perhaps once I get around to adding board and batten to another corner of the house, then I'll actually take bright and cheery photographs with an amazing tutorial.

The good news - there are amazing tutorials out there!  These are all the ones that I referenced before and during the board and batten installation.    

Prepare yourself for some pretty awesome bloggers!  :) 

Seat belts on?  3-2-1.  Mission:  Board and Batten Tutorial - here we go!  Take off...!!

(Too much?  Yelp, it certainly does show that I hang out with a pre-schooler all day)

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Aren't these great?!  

Any board and batten tips or tricks out there?  Have you attempted any intimidating projects?  

Thanks for stopping by.

XOXO,

Marie :)

Guest Bathroom - Before and After

Hey guys!

I thought I'd stop by real quick to show you a few before-and-after pictures of the guest bathroom.

Here ya' go!  

For not having a window in or near the space, it sure does feel a lot brighter, doesn't it?!

Are you working on any last minute winter projects?  Do tell.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Marie :)

The Guest Bathroom - The After

The guest bathroom is finally done...well...it's kinda-sorta done.  

I don't know about you, but I feel like a room is never complete.  Rooms in our home are ever-changing.  I can't tell you how many times I've moved the rug in our family room.  

Nobody notices and nobody cares.

Why?  Why do I do this? 

I suppose that's a blog post for another day, or for some sort of "compulsive home decor and room arranging therapy session?"  Haha! 

Anyhoo, I'm so proud of this space.  I'd venture to say that I did about 99% of the work.  Jon did help me remove the old mirror thingy (<----yup, that's what it's officially called ;) ) and he also helped remove two screws that I had stripped (oops!).  

Other than that, I performed my best Tim the Tool Man Taylor impression and went to work!  

*Grunt Grunt Grunt*    

Board and Batten!

This is my favorite shot - the board and batten, the mirror, the shower curtain and the bathroom hooks.

These hooks...  *swoon*

I love these hooks so much that I figured one of them deserved it's very own glamour shot.  

Isn't she pretty?!

Oh and we finally have storage!

Yelp, there you have it, my kinda-sorta finished guest bathroom reveal. ;)

What do you think?  Any other suggestions?  I'm still looking for some artwork...any ideas of what you think would work in here?  Any guest bathroom essentials that I should provide?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Marie :)

Weekend Update - Home Style

First off, let me start by asking how your Daylight Savings is going?  I'm a tad out of sorts over here!  Nothing a little coffee can't fix!  AmIRight?!

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that the guest bathroom is almost finished.  I shared a little sneak peek over there, but here's another one for ya' just in case you missed it...

In other home decor news, Jon and I bought a piece of furniture over the weekend!

A few weeks ago I read in the local paper that a beautiful home here in our town - which goes by the name of Castle House - was going to be having an Estate Sale.  I wasn't really sure if we'd buy anything, but with a name like, Castle House, I just had to go inside and see it!  

It was gorgeous, indeed.

While walking around, I'm pretty sure I spent about five-hundred-bucks in my head!  There was a lot of ooooing and aaaahhhing going on.  I'm sure Jon found me extremely annoying.  

There was one piece of furniture that I kept walking by and I couldn't shake it.  From the moment I saw it, I could visualize it in our home.  So, a little negotiating and a U-Haul trailer rental later, it was ours!!!

Nubs the Cat will be filling in for Vanna White as our model since Ms. White was unable to attend due to game show obligations.  He sure is a handsome cat model, if I do say so myself.

I just love the hinges and the old cracks of paint.  I love the glass doors.  I love the height and width of this furniture.  It's heavy.  It's old.  It feels so right in our home. 

It also has a story.  The woman selling the Castle House told me all about this bookcase, which makes it that much more special!  

  

Upon leaving, I also asked the owner of the home where they were going.  I know-I know, it sounds like I was prying for info, but I promise it was all casual and not too stalker-ish - LOL.  He mentioned that they're heading to Grand Rapids and that his daughters and his wife own and run Good Soul Vintage on Etsy!  Go check them out.  They're so nice!

It was a great weekend.

What do you think of the bathroom and new piece of furniture?  Any projects/furniture buying/decorating going on in your home?

Do tell. 

Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Marie :)

I'm linking up here: