Friday Favorites starts with New Home Decor

Home. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Even with our homes. I actually didn’t need to grow fonder of our home. but going away for 5 weeks really makes you miss it! We went to Utah to visit family and friends and to do a little traveling, so we were missing our own space. I really missed my tub and our little kitchen. As you know I really like to style my home and play around with home decor. It is a hobby and also my career. I think some of you might share the same hobby. And hobbies typically cost money….right?:)

One way to get better at styling your home and using home decor is to practice it and play with it often. Just like baking, we get better at it with trial and error. While I was in Utah I think I thought I had nothing at home so I ordered a few pieces of home decor. Or I just missed my own space so I was collecting things in Utah to create pieces of home around me. Regretfully or luckily we had to bring home an entire new suitcase. I do need to be better at bringing less clothes when we go on a long vacation because we always seem to do some shopping. 

Today for Friday Favorites I thought I would share some favorite spots in our home and favorite home decor pieces. Also Kevin did a pretty good job at keeping about half of our house plants alive. My big plant died in our bookcase because I moved it to the bathroom upstairs to make it easier for Kevin to water. Not a good idea. Plants really don’t like to be moved and in the bathroom it got too much water. So I got a couple new plants when we got back home.

When we got home all of the suitcases and carry-ons went into this room. It was overwhelming. But all I could see were all the pillows on the sofa. I brought back up the back cushions to the sofa (I like it better this way) and changed up the pillows. I left my favorite gray pillows on each end (like book-ends) and mixed in THIS 23″ chunky knit pillows (came with a down insert!) and THIS kidney pillow (only $18! I added 28″ Ikea down insert inside). 

Also brought home a gift, my favorite smelling candle (THIS volcano candle). I went to Home Goods several times for clients and projects while we were in Utah. I picked up a few new books. I got THIS Beaches book that I have been wanting as a coffee table book. Beware- there are some nude beach scenes (taken from a distance) my girls were curious as to what was happening! 

And I have been wearing THESE shoes non-stop. I have them in white too but this tan leather is my favorite pair. EVER!

Also put new batteries in our twinkle lights in our jars. That was the first time replacing the batteries! But I had left them not working for a little bit. Just taking time to care for the home decor we already have makes it feel brand new! I got that new pink book too, yes because it was pink and also written by Kate Spade. And I picked up Styled by Emily Henderson, she is one of my favorite designers. She has a really fun style quiz in the book you can take to discover your design style! I took the quiz on our plane ride home. 

I am “Rustic” style- “Life is simple and you wouldn’t want it any other way. For a natural homebody like you, nothing beats a ling hike in the woods followed by a dinner at your reclaimed table with veggies plucked straight from the garden. Style is laid back, cozy, lived-in. Casual patterns like stripes, plaids, checks and florals can be common.” That is pretty spot on! I would not have described my style as rustic, but it makes sense. Wondering what your style is? I highly recommend the book (HERE). 

Notice the black stoneware pot? That is new too. I believe every room should have some black in it. It adds depth to a room. Similar to the idea that black curtain rods are always a good solution because they are like mascara to a face. I put my air-plant in the vase propped up with rocks. I just found you can order an air-plant HERE (less than I bought mine for). Air-Plants are so easy to care for. I haven’t touched mine for about 6 weeks (but it is humid in our area). I typically soak the bottom part in water for 20 minutes about every 4 weeks. Then put it back where it goes! Easy. 

Oh and my new house plant in the big basket in our bookcase is called an Umbrella Tree (found it at Home Depot). I have house plant tips HERE.

I got the bubble vase also. They have a lot of different sizes and colors if you want to add some twinkle lights to a jar! These are great. I just hide the battery pack outside the jar, easy to do in a bookcase. 

Kevin painted the exterior door on the back of our house the same color as our front door! I love seeing that little pop of pink when we open the door. That was a fun treat to come home to. 

The rosemary topiary died by our sink, it got too much water. Although they like more water than a normal house plant. Where we went wrong was it was sitting in water because the pot I have does not have a hole. I got a new rosemary topiary from Whole Foods and added rocks on the bottom then planted the topiary on top of the rocks. That will help with drainage. I don’t want to drill a hole in the bottom because then I would need a saucer. (It is in THIS cement pot in the medium size). 

I ordered “The World is your Oyster” 8×10 print while I was gone. Inexpensive way to add some art to your kitchen. Or HERE for even less.

I picked up a woven basket-like trivet (find similar HERE). Little kitchen home decor details that you use everyday are my favorite way to decorate the kitchen.

Hope you enjoyed that version of Friday Favorites. I am putting together a new challenge since our Organizing Challenge ended (you can still participate HERE). Our new challenge will be a styling challenge. Hoping to get it ready to start soon. Let me know any area you want styling tips on or a challenge for!

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