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    TWOPAGES Draperies Sure Look Nice in a Room

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    Does your home have windows that you would like to add stylish drapes or shades? Then this TWOPAGES drapery review is where you will learn where to explore and find the perfect window treatments for your home decor vision.

    Recently I shared with you that after my daughter, Mandy and her husband, Matt bought an older home, Ed and I drove up to Virginia to help them paint the foyer, living room and dining room. I showed you the rooms before and after painting reveals in the post.

    In today’s post, I am sharing what all houses old or new with windows needs – window treatments and what Mandy and Matt chose to fit their decorating vision to make the house into a home they will love for years to come.

    Knowing that they would need window treatments, I partnered with TWOPAGES Curtains for this post and had Mandy and Matt choose the window treatments for their living room that they liked from the many styles and fabrics that TWOPAGES sells on their website and also on their AMAZON Shop.

    As a mom, of course I wanted to help, plus I know quite a bit about decorating and window treatments so I offered them a few tips to consider as they went about choosing what would look nice on the windows, but also function for their needs which was to block glare when watching TV.

    BEFORE LR Front Window

    BEFORE LR Side Window

    The living room in the house has two single windows with great looking high gloss molding around them.

    They didn’t want to cover too much of the window that would block the light coming into the room and they also didn’t want to cover the decorative rosette molding at the upper corners of each window that add character to the room.

    Window Treatment TIPS I Gave to Mandy & Matt

    One: Small, ordinary windows will look larger and can become impressive focal points when you hang drapes high and away from the window glass.

    Two: Properly hung drapes (rod closer to ceiling than close to window molding) can trick the eye into thinking windows are larger and ceilings are taller than they actually are.

    Three: More light streams into a room when the curtains/drapes are pushed back away from the window glass.

    Four: Blackout drapes will take care of the glare issue when watching TV.

    Here is a close up of the white/grey blackout lining.

    Once the drapes arrived, they took more of my advice and hung the pleated drapes with the “easy to attach and adjust hooks” on the rods first to be better able to see exactly where the rod mounting brackets needed to go on the wall above the windows.

    Once they measured and marked the height and spot where the rod brackets needed to go, Matt drilled the holes and attached the rods.

    TWOPAGES Has Easy to Follow Measuring Guides

    With so many great window treatment options for you to explore on the TWOPAGES site when choosing the right window treatments for your home, the process can feel overwhelming, but don’t let this stop you.

    On the TWOPAGES site you will be guided step-by-step on how to measure and choose just the right window treatments for your windows. They also have a swatch service where you can order a swatch of the fabric so you can see the color, texture and feel the weight of the fabric that will help you make the right decision.

    The pleats look perfect when the drapes are open…

    …as well as when they are closed.

    One More Drapery Hanging TIP

    I shared one more drapery hanging tip with Mandy and Matt that many homeowners with drapes overlook and that is:

    Once the rod is mounted and you attach the drapes, add one curtain ring to the outside of the rod mount with the remaining rings on inside to prevent your curtain from being pulled all the way to the middle of window. Doing this also helps hide the rod bracket, especially when viewing the drapes from the side. See this Window Treatment TIPS post for more about this.

    Learn More About TWOPAGES Curtains

    To find out more about TWOPAGES and all the drapery styles, curtains, fabrics, rods and more they sell, head over to:

    Now that I see how beautifully made their drapes are I want to look into ordering some Roman Shades for my bedroom.

    More Window Treatment Posts You May Like

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      in Decorating

      Where I Find the Best Decorating Inspiration for Free

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      See the aged black vase filled with pink hydrangeas that I clipped from my yard in the photo above?

      When thinking about bringing the hydrangeas inside my house so I could enjoy them, placing them in this vase had not even entered my mind.

      When I first brought the flowers in, I chose what I normally place them in, one of my white pitchers.

      Once I had arranged them, I went about my day, which included some downtime to read all my favorite decorating and lifestyle magazines. Dozens of them for free! Yep for free.

      It was in this reading decorating magazines session that I saw a photo of pink hydrangeas in a big black vase. It really caught my eye and I realized that I had a black vase in my attic decor stash.

      The inspiring image was in a magazine devoted to modern home style, a magazine I normally wouldn’t read, but since I get it for free each month, I look through it as you never know when decorating inspiration will hit you.

      How You Can Read Decorating & Lifestyle Magazines for Free

      I read dozens of magazines every week and month using the Libby app. Many people use this app to get free ebooks and digital audiobooks via their local library.

      But did you know you can also subscribe to magazines from your library using Libby? All you need is a library card from the local library in your town or county.

      Every public library that links to Libby may offer different magazines and periodicals. When I first found out that I could read the magazines for free that I had been paying for. I jumped right in. I also liked that I was saving a few trees by reading them online. 🙂

      Your library brings you magazines from all over the world! The magazines are always available, with no wait list, no loan limits, and no due dates. How can your library do this?

      Magazine publishers can charge more for ads when their circulation numbers go up. Advertisers want you to see their ads and magazine publishers make their money through the ads, hence offering their publications to libraries to get more eyes on the ads.

      When browsing through the magazine offerings, don’t stop at just adding your favorite magazines to your Libby account, sign up for others outside your decorating style.

      This is what I do, I subscribed to dozens. I may not enjoy every magazine, but I have found great ideas I could use in my style and inspiration on how to decorate with similar items I already own that I didn’t think of.

      If I hadn’t browsed through the modern decor magazine, I know my hydrangeas would still be in the white pitcher. I love this pitcher and how the hydrangeas look, but it is nice to see something different every once in awhile.

      Your magazine selection to subscribe to using Libby will vary based on your library, since each library chooses what titles and formats to offer in Libby.

      I have the app installed on my iPad. I found that reading the magazines on my iPad is the best experience as the pages show up full screen and the print is easy to read.

      You can also download the app and read on your phone, desktop, laptop computer, Amazon Fire devices, but not on Kindle.

      You can get all the details here at the Libby website. They also have a few videos (here) to help you learn and get the most out of the app.

      I told my husband that he should take a look to see if the magazines he has paid subscriptions to are offered and he found them. He now reads them for free. He likes reading them on his phone.

      To find magazines to subscribe to on Libby you scroll through the magazine category offerings and simply click on Subscribe when you come across one you like.

      Once you subscribe, you will see all your subscriptions in your Magazine Rack.

      Whenever a new issue of a magazine comes out, you can check a box when setting up the app to notify you via text or an email.

      Here are a few of the magazines I picked out from from the Libby Newsstand and subscribed to. This is only a partial list as I subscribe to many more.

      Traditional Home

      Traditional Home Kitchens

      Coastal Living

      Magnolia

      Cottages & Bungalows

      The Cottage Journal

      House Beautiful

      Country Home

      Country Living

      The Pioneer Woman

      Canadian House & Home

      American Farmhouse Style

      First for Women

      Women’s World

      Good Housekeeping

      Women’s Day

      Victoria

      Canada’s Style at Home

      HGTV Magazine

      …and many more from all over the world

      If you’d like more time with a kept issue, tap next to the magazine’s name and select, Keep For Another 7 Days. This option appears when the issue has less than 7 days left on your Magazine Rack. You can do this as many times as you’d like so there really isn’t a due date.

      Two Things to Make Note of:

      Magazines are only kept on your current device. You’ll need to repeat the setup steps if you have multiple devices you want to keep the magazines on.

      If you want to access to a magazine when you’re offline, you’ll need to manually download it.

      Another tidbit of information that I picked up when reading decorating magazines is that when you have a vase that is only decorative and not meant to hold water, you can place a smaller vase inside to hold the water.

      Then arrange your flowers.

      If you like reading decorating magazines or any magazine every week or month as some magazines I subscribe to come out weekly. Don’t hesitate to look into getting the Libby app on one of your devices.

      If you already use the app for reading magazines, then you know how easy and nice it is to keep current on all that interests you.

      More Places to Find Decorating Inspiration

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      in Organization

      My Organized Closet with Containers for Family Photos, Mementos and more!

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      This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

      Operation: A Place for Everything (and Everything in Its Place)

      My organizing mission continues! This closet makeover is still in progress so no pretty pictures, but I thought I’d show you what I’ve been working on behind the scenes.

      The Closet That Drove Me Nuts
      (can you blame me?)
      This closet in the Snug was one of those closets.
      The “we just moved in” (…almost four years ago 😂) so let’s just stuff it in here for now kind of closet.
      It became the delayed decision zone—overflowing with the things I wasn’t quite sure what to do with. Family photos, mementos, files, extra pillow covers… all important, all without a clear home.
      At one point it was filled with fluffy pillows, and they would all come tumbling out when I opened the door. I don’t think I took a photo of that.
      Guest Bed Details
      Why We Chose a Compact Home
      We live in what I call a compact home, by choice. It has smaller rooms, a smaller lot, a one car garage, no storage shed, no basement and smallish closets. After years of having more space—extra garages, basements, closets, outbuildings—I realized “extra storage space” just made it too easy to collect too much stuff.
      And for someone like me (a person who likes to decorate, can be sentimental, and a recovering procrastinator 😏), fewer storage options actually “forces me” to stay on top of things. Otherwise clutter is multiplying “out of sight, out of mind” (or taunting me every time I open the door).
      White photo boxes // Blue stackable bins // Navy linen file boxes // Wall-mounted essential oil organizer // Blue magazine holders
      That said, even after years of decluttering and downsizing, I’m still learning important truths, such as:
      Small spaces obviously need fewer things—but they also need better systems.
      When we had a 5,000 square foot house, we didn’t actually need many systems. People always say a bigger house is harder to keep clean, but it is far easier to stash stuff where no one has to see it.
      We had a lot of storage in that house so you could toss in just about anything to “deal with later” and forget you even owned it. Until it was time for us to move. Same situation happened at the next house. It was a smaller home but 1,000 square feet of storage under the house. I had no idea we still had canoes under the house until the day we were trying to load the Uhaul.
      By the way, you can read more of my misadventures and solutions found through all of my homes in my books Love the Home You Have and Make Room for What You Love — maybe you’ll relate or just get a good laugh at my struggles ha!

      On a related note, I have no idea why I still have this album. I mean, I did like Donny and Marie and had a lot of their albums, but this would not be the one I would choose to keep. Yet here it is.
      And why have I moved about 13 times with this album? I have a lot of questions. Ha! Happily, these random finds are becoming more rare. I still have too much stuff, but I’m making steady progress. Let me show you what I’ve been working on!
      Wall-mounted essential oil organizer
      The Closet Problem (and My Simple Solution)
      This closet in the snug, under the eaves, is actually one of the biggest we have, so I knew it had potential. But without stackable bins or a usable structure, it wasn’t going to work for what I needed.
      We didn’t need to keep everything, so I started—as a necessity—with a ruthless edit. I’ve come a long way when it comes to letting go, and having limited space definitely helps me be more decisive.
      Once the clutter was pared down, I got to the fun part: organizing.

      What I Used:

      White photo boxes: These hold all our loose photos until we can scan, frame, or sort them.
      Blue stackable bins: These are soft-sided but sturdy with handles and spots for labels. Some are file boxes, some are just open bins. I’m not sure how these ended up being two shades of blue (I ordered one set a bit later) but that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be perfect to feel organized.
      Navy linen file boxes: These are really sturdy, well-built, and a great size. They came with hanging file folders that are helping me feel so organized!
      Blue magazine holders
      Wall-mounted essential oil organizer: I added two of these wall shelves months ago and love how they maximize vertical space without cluttering the closet. I definitely need to pare down my oils, but I love all of them. Ha! I still need to tidy those shelves up, though. Baby steps! Side note, this closet smells LIKE A DREAM! I get my oils here.

      Everything I needed now stacks neatly into the closet, and there’s still enough floor space to walk in and out comfortably. YAY!
      It’s just what I wanted. An easy fix. No need to install shelves or find furniture. No permanent installations. Just a fast and functional solution that works for us now, and is flexible for the future, too.
      And most importantly? I can open the door without anxiety. I keep opening the door just to remind myself of how far I’ve come!

      Buy bins in larger sets if you know you’ll use them—it’s more affordable.
      Look for bins with handles and label slots for easy future organizing.
      Don’t buy containers for clutter. Declutter before you organize.
      Simple solutions can make a big impact—especially in small spaces.

      Voila! This little system saved the day…and my sanity.
      One more thing….
      Stay tuned for my next installment of A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place—you won’t even believe this one! I came up with a clever idea for the closet door that solved a whole different organizing dilemma. It was a tricky one! I can’t wait to show you.

      See more of my recent organizing projects here!
      My Phrase Of The Year: A Place for Everything
      10 Organizers We Use in Our Home
      My Quick & Easy Organized Gift Wrapping Closet
      My Coffee Cabinet Makeover (Removable Wallpaper, Berkey Water Filter Storage and Organization)
      A Pretty Solution for Hiding Power Strips and Cords
      How to Organize Under the Sink in the Kitchen (6 tips to create a place for everything!)
      My Coffee Cabinet Makeover (Removable Wallpaper, Berkey Water Filter Storage and Organization)
      Baskets in the Dining Room (a place for everything!)
      Decorating & Organizing with Baskets (A Place for Everything!)
      See a whole gallery full of organization inspiration posts on the blog here! More

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      in Style Tips

      Antique Hutch Decorating: Sunday Strolls & Scrolls

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      @missmustardseed

      Sunday Strolls + Scrolls is a series inspired by the interiors and exterior spaces I fell in love with while scrolling the internet. I particularly enjoy finding spaces and ideas that reflect a sense of sanctuary! I hope this series will feel as relaxing and enjoyable to you as a leisurely walk down a charming street, a peaceful stroll through a garden or finally getting to peek inside a lovely neighborhood home during a Sunday open house. 
      Browse all past Sunday Strolls & Scrolls inspiration posts here.
      Antique Hutch Decorating
      @mollyinmaine
      @southernshorevintage
      @mycambridgefairytale
      @amycwhyte

      Vintage Nightstands, Wicker Mirror + More Updates In Our Coastal Cottage Bedroom
      My Vintage Blue and White Platters
      A Vintage Washstand for a Table in Our Living Room
      My Vintage Staffordshire Dogs & Collections That Tell Your Story
      Cottage Style Etsy Home Decor Finds (Antiques, Blue + White, Coastal!)
      Collections that Add Soul to a Home
      Our Vintage Swan + Latest Cottage Etsy Finds
      Listen to Your Heart and Decorate with What You Love More

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      in Style Tips

      How to Hang Plates on the Wall

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      It’s been awhile since I’ve talked about how to hang plates on the wall. Since I get this question often (and I keep hanging more plates!) I thought I would share an update!

      I’ve tried various methods over the many decades I’ve been hanging plates on our walls, but the best way I’ve found to hang most plates and bowls are with these hangers.
      They are easy to apply and haven’t failed me yet! It’s important that you apply them according to directions and let the glue dry over night to make sure it’s secure.
      Click here for above sources
      Some of the reasons I like these hangers (besides how well they hold) are because they are mostly invisible and don’t damage the plates or the walls. I used to use wire plate hangers but they would make the plate stick out from the wall, the metal would often scratch the wall, the wire clamps showed around the perimeter and it would be easy to break a plate trying to make them fit.
      The way I apply these plate hangers, you can’t see them at all from the front.
      To make sure the plate or bowl lays flat on the wall, I apply the hanger on the disc like this below:
      Plate Hangers
      Sources: Rattan Cart // Floral Rug (color options) // More Sources
      I’ve always thought plates on a wall were so charming. I think of plates as affordable art because you can often find them inexpensively at secondhand or thrift stores. You can mix them with framed art, too. Even if you just have one decorative plate or bowl it will add interest and contrast to rectangular frames.
      Mix and match a variety of colors and patterns or even hang a whole set of plates and bowls to create a plate wall. It’s also a fun way to “use what you have” to decorate if you inherited a set of china you don’t need!

      Have you tried hanging plates on the wall?
      Pin this post for later ^ More

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      in Organization

      How to Organize Under the Sink in the Kitchen (6 tips to create a place for everything!)

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      This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

      Today I will share six tips for how to organize under the sink and create a place for everything!
      One of the areas that was on my “a place for everything and everything in its place” list for a really long time was to organize under the sink, so I am thrilled that I finally tackled it.
      Empty the cabinet and declutter.
      Begin by taking everything out of the cabinet and tossing trash or things you know you don’t use. It helps to consider what would actually be convenient to keep in that cabinet and what is just unnecessarily cluttering the available space. Once you’ve pared down to only what you use regularly, move any items that you know can be relocated.
      Determine what will need a home.
      Everything will need a home, so assess what you want to keep and what you will organize under the sink. We wanted a roll of trash bags, a small supply of the dish brushes we use, our smiling sponges, steel wool for cleaning pans, magic erasers and the dishwasher detergents and cleaning supplies.
      Measure the space you have to work with and order organizers.
      Before I ordered containers, I measured the cabinet space I had to work with in the cabinet (height, depth and width of the cabinet and factored in the limitations of pipes).
      When I partnered with The Container Store over on Instagram recently (you can see my organizing video HERE!) I was introduced to the Everything Organizers! I love this system.
      These organizers are clear which I think is so smart under the sink plus they are really simple to use as well as to clean. They are also very flexible in how you can use and arrange them so I was able to order options and then decide on the best configuration once they arrived.

      Arrange organizers to maximize space.
      Once you have your containers you’ll want to organize them efficiently in the cabinet to maximize space.
      I only used containers across the front of the cabinet, leaving open space behind ours for any surplus or rarely used items.
      This system is designed so you can stack shorter drawers on top of each other or pair short with tall to maximize the height as well as the width of the space. I stacked a couple of sizes of the clear drawers and added the Lazy Susan to create an efficient system that fit well in our space.
      Since some of the items we keep under the sink were taller so we also left open space to one side. To create a tidy spot for them, we placed a tray style container on one side to hold spray bottles and handy roll of paper towels. I like that the container can be taken out to set up on the counter when in use and is easy to clean, too.
      The Lazy Susan also has removable sections so you can also customize how you arrange items in it.
      Group like items together.
      The simplest way to decide how to organize each of your containers is to group like items together. Depending on your cabinet and organizer sizes, you may realize after grouping like items together that you still have too many items to fit comfortably. You might need to relocate a few more items or if you buy in bulk you could have backup supplies elsewhere such as a garage or pantry.
      A place for everything and everything in its place.
      No organizing system will stay organized for long if you cram too many items in or can’t easily maintain order in them. The key is to keep it simple, don’t make the system too complicated.
      This is why I love the clear organizers as a dedicated spot for each type of item — it makes it easy to maintain a place for everything.
      You may also need to pare down on the number of products you use in order to maximize efficiency and space.
      For example, we use just our one toxin-free all purpose cleaner and a scrub for most things, so we don’t need to keep a lot of bottles under the sink.
      Having a designated place for everything also helps us to easily see what you have on hand and when you need to replenish!

      Ta da! A place for everything and everything in its place! Organizing is fun and rewarding once you get started! In fact, organizing this cabinet was so fun that I went on to organize my fridge and set up a cart for our dog supplies (which I’ll share with you in a separate post).
      Shop the Everything Organizers here.
      * Watch my under sink organizing video HERE! *
      My home organizing books:
      Make Room for What You Love Simply Home (two in one book for organizing and decorating) More

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      in Style Tips

      Realistic Faux Tulips: My Top Amazon Picks + Decorating Tips

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      This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

      Today, I’m excited to share some of my favorite realistic faux tulips and compare different stem options. I’ll also show you how various sets look together and share a few tips to help you create lovely arrangements!
      First, if you don’t want to sift through the tips in the post to find the links, here are my favorite Amazon tulips and a few others similar options if you are looking for a particular color or price point (and sometimes they have coupons!).
      These are the three types I ordered that look the most realistic:

      White Tulips
      Latex Coral Tulips (some of them on this link are a little different, these are latex, so be sure to double check what you order)
      Light Pink Tulips

      A couple more to consider:
      Tulips I don’t have yet but look similar to mine (and may come in other colors and bouquet sizes)
      Bigger set
      These white tulips (most realistic) mixed with these cream tulips (original set I bought years ago)
      I will begin by saying there is no comparison between real flowers and faux. Whenever it’s possible to have real, they will always be infinitely more beautiful. Real plants and flowers bring more joy and health benefits, too. :). But I do think there are reasons you may want consider having faux!
      We live in Washington state which is the tulip capital of the United States, so I feel a little guilty talking about faux when the tulip farms all around us are about to burst into bloom. 🙂 But, let’s talk about them anyway!
      Over the past few years I’ve been growing in my appreciation for having some seasonal faux stems and blooms around the house for a few reasons (not to mention faux blooms are getting so much more realistic!).
      Above: Light Pink Tulips // Latex Coral Tulips (some of them on this link are a little different, these are latex, so be sure to double check what you order)
      Here are a few of the reasons I have come to appreciate having faux blooms:
      They are available for a bouquet whenever I want them.I can have more than one bouquet at a time all year round.Buying real flowers often can get expensive.I don’t always have flowers in my yard and we’re just getting started with landscaping.I can put a seasonal bouquet anywhere in the house and don’t have to worry that our puppy Finnegan will sneak off to eat them.It’s nice to invest once and be able to keep them for a long time.I enjoy seeing pretty bouquets around the house more often.and best of all, I like that they are EASY CARE!
      I will share more about my definition of an easy care house sometime 🙂 but today let me show you some of my faux tulips!
      Tulips on the left // Tulips on the right
      I don’t know if you’ve looked for faux tulips lately, but they don’t all look the same.
      You can see the tulips on the left in the photo above look so much more realistic than the ones on the right–look at the difference in the leaves and stems (even though both of these tulips sets are very pretty).
      There are several distinctions that make the ones on the left look more realistic (and tips for what to look for when selecting faux tulips):

      The tulips are made of different materials that make them even feel like real tulips!
      The leaves and stems look more realistic
      The coloring on each bloom is more unique
      Some of the tulips in the set are closed and some are opening up — which I think is more like a real bouquet

      The more realistic blooms can be more expensive per stem, but it’s nice that you can find bouquets with fewer stems if you want to keep the cost down.
      Of course you can always collect more over time, or mix several types together!
      One way to stretch the budget is to mix new and old, or more expensive and less expensive, together.
      TIP: if you’re mixing more realistic stems with less realistic, try putting the more realistic leaves on the outer part of the bouquet.
      Let me show you a couple of tulip combinations I’ve used for my bouquets:

      Here is what this realistic bouquet of 10 tulips looks like in my pitcher.
      I love how simple, airy and natural just ten tulips look with a few flopping over the side of the pitcher.
      This is another set I considered as well — they look to be very similar. Be sure to check what they are made of when you shop if that matters to you, as well as compare what the leaves and stems look like (and the length of the stems).
      Sometimes one set is more expensive because it’s better quality or because of how many blooms are included (and that often makes the price per stem less, something to consider!).
      You can mix different types of tulips to stretch your budget but also the variation can give it a more realistic look. Or mix real with faux, no one needs to know :).

      Here is is what my pitcher looks like with 20 mixed stems —this has 10 stems that have the more realistic leaves (two bundles of five come in this one set — and you can get different colors) plus I added 10 stems of the less realistic leaves in a champagne color.

      This is what the champagne color tulips look like up close.

      Here’s a little bouquet of several colors with the more realistic tulips, wouldn’t these make a pretty bouquet? They come in different colors as well.
      Light pink
      Latex coral
      White

      These are the three types I ordered that look the most realistic:
      White
      Latex coral (some of them are a little different, these are latex, so be sure to double check what you order)
      Light pink
      I almost ordered these, they look very similar (they have more stems, but the cost per stem was less).

      And here is my original set of light pink tulips, my original set of coral tulips, mixed with a few of the newer realistic ones! I love coral so the pop of color on these is a joy-bringer….and they are holding me over until I can get to the tulip farms and buy the real deal!
      Want to watch videos where I compare these tulips and share tips on how to arrange them? Here are 3 you can check out:

      A comparison of my new coral tulips mixed with my original pink and coral sets.
      A close-up video of the realistic white tulip bundle.
      A comparison of my new white tulips with my original set, plus tips on how to arrange them together in a vase.

      Other sources in this post:
      Yellow cafe curtains and bunny mug — both temporarily out of stock sadly, but you can join the waitlist to be notified when they are back!
      Scalloped shade lamp in top kitchen photo More

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      in Organization

      My Coffee Cabinet Makeover (Removable Wallpaper, Berkey Water Filter Storage and Organization)

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      This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

      A place for everything and everything in its place is my mission for this year, but the truth is I really got inspired for it last year with a few simple projects that I haven’t shared on the blog yet!
      I started getting these cabinets organized last fall as a part of a fun cozy home challenge HomeBodies did in HomeBody Gathering Place.
      In our renovation we had cabinetry designated in our dining area for our coffee making area and our Berkey Water filter. While we don’t have a fancy coffee station or water filtration system, what we have works great for us so I wanted to make it as functional and organized as I could.
      I put up this adorable peel and stick wallpaper on the back of the cabinet, just for fun — it makes the whole experience of preparing coffee more charming. It was so simple to do!
      Before I explain the organization, here is a list of some cabinet and organizing supplies I used:
      This cabinet organizer shelf
      This wood lazy Susan
      This plastic tray under the coffee gadgets
      Milk frother/steamer (love this one, it’s stainless steel instead of toxic nonstick coating!)
      These blue and white buffalo check lidded canisters
      Coffee grinder
      Botanical coffee mugs
      Blue and white geometric pattern coffee mug
      Click here for above sources
      This whole organization project took me less than 30 minutes to make the additions and improvements, so I wish I had done this ages ago! But I’m glad I finally did it. Now that this cabinet is extra cute, I am inspired to keep the cabinet more organized, too!
      Organizing the Coffee Cabinet (a place for everything!)
      I decided we should use the two upper shelves only for serving platters. I have no other cabinet for them so this made sense! Our shelves are adjustable so I can rearrange later if desired.
      To make better use of the rest of the cabinet space, without making it feeling too cluttered, I added some tiered accessory shelves to elevate some of the mugs and organize supplies.
      Cabinet organizer shelf // Botanical coffee mugs // Similar Homebody Mug (my mug is from here)
      This cabinet now holds only the mugs we’ll be using often this season (this is key, we cannot keep EVERY mug in this cabinet!) We put the mugs on the Lazy Susan and a few others that will sit next to it on the tiered shelves. No more cluttered cabinet! Our extra mugs are stored in the cabinet below.
      I also got a set of cute checkered canisters to hold coffee beans and spoons.
      We keep this tray under our coffee grinder and the milk steamer/frother to make it easier to clean up the cabinet from the inevitable messes made while grinding coffee and steaming milk.
      We still use this stovetop espresso brewer (someday we’ll get a fancier machine, but we’ve used this for years and it is so simple and makes good coffee)!.

      Organizing Our Berkey Water Filter Cabinet
      We used to have the Berkey sitting on a bench in our mudroom, but this was always my intended spot for it. It’s safe from little hands and puppies and so convenient for grown people to use. The drawer underneath the Berkey pulls out so we can easily fill it and we put a tray and mat under it to catch any drips or overflow.
      We put our Berkey on this stand so we can easily get a glass under it to fill. Works great!
      Someday we may get a whole house filter (or a new one at the kitchen sink like we had in the past) but we’re perfectly happy with this arrangement.
      The cabinet shelves above and below the Berkey hold our pretty blue and green drinking glasses, electric hot water kettles (I have this copper and this blue kettle) and other handy items.

      A Place for Everything
      Even though it’s always been nice to have all of these cabinets to store stuff, having a place for everything and everything in its place means that now I really enjoy using these spaces as they are intended (and enjoy keeping them organized!) every day.

      Small Space Tip
      The doors on the coffee cabinet slide back in so they don’t stick out into the room — this is a handy small space hack if you are getting new cabinets :).
      Now that it’s so cute I can even leave the coffee station open whenever I want to!
      Our home may not be huge, but I wanted to make every space count. I pictured a cozy, comfortable, orderly place right here in the dining room where family and friends could gather around and chat while making coffee or tea. I’m happy to have created a pleasant experience for everyone!
      Sources for above
      Related Posts:
      Our Coastal Cottage Kitchen Reveal
      Our Kitchen Before and After (with photos of the kitchen and dining room swap!) More

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      in Organization

      A Pretty Solution for Hiding Power Strips and Cords

      by

      I don’t know about you, but a tangled mess of cords on the floor definitely doesn’t spark joy for me! Since I’m on a roll finding a place for everything in my house, hiding power strips has been at the top of my list. I wanted a solution that would not only hide cords but also look attractive in the room—and I found the perfect tools for the job!
      I got two different styles of these cable management baskets. The first one I ordered (THIS ONE) is made of imitation rattan. While it’s not my favorite finish, it looks great at a distance and does the job of concealing cords and a power strip.
      Since I really liked how functional this basket is I ordered a different set for other spaces in the house (like our kitchen and Snug).
      These other cable management baskets (below) just arrived and came in a set of two sizes, and the finish is natural and lovely in our home! I would buy these again (and probably will!).
      Cable management baskets
      These baskets are an attractive and practical way to hide cords and power strips to keep everything looking neat. You can also tuck in a couple of extra phone chargers to keep them organized or have on hand for guests!
      The basket is naturally ventilated, so it prevents overheating of power strips and chargers. You don’t want to put power strips in closed in or tight spaces without ventilation or overload them (we never plug in heaters or anything powerful like that on a power strip just to be safe).
      We will use our new baskets for charging phones (which we can set on top of the basket with the cord coming out one side), hiding a lamp cord on the kitchen counter.
      Be sure to measure whatever power strip you want to use (I got these surge protectors for our new baskets) to make sure it will fit.
      These power strip baskets are so handy for hiding a power strip and corralling all your cords in one neat place, I’m so glad I found them.
      Here’s to simple, pretty solutions for a more peaceful home!

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