Blog - The Lilypad Cottage

May 10, 2019 By Kelly 22 Comments

Friday Feels – New Art and Upcoming Projects

Welcome to another Friday Feels where I share what I’m “feeling” this week. This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.

Sorry I’ve been light on the Friday Feels lately. The Mr. and I both got knocked out with a nasty virus 2 weeks back and last week I was battling a migraine. I decided to enjoy one of the perks of working from home and take a few sick days. My daughter was so sweet and tucked me in and put an ice pop on my forehead to help with my headache. Which miraculously helped a ton minus the fact that I woke up with orange popsicle stuck to my head, but who knows, maybe that was part of the magic healing powers? I’m keeping a box of orange popsicles on hand just in case…

I’ve got a ton of projects in the works, but nothing really complete at the moment. So, I thought I would share what I’m working on at the various stages.

First up, I ordered these beautiful prints from a Michigander artist. Her name is Katherine Corden and I think I stumbled upon her on Instagram, but instantly fell in love with the colors and style of her lakeshore paintings. Check out her original art and prints on her site here. I already have my eye on another piece for our bathroom!

I replaced the basket on my wall, and the pop of color over here feels so fresh. I framed them in these inexpensive white frames from Wayfair. I just centered the art right over the mat because it was the wrong size. That’s an easy tip to avoid an expensive custom framing job that I use often.

I’m on the hunt for a small bar cart or table beneath it to ground the space. Here are a few that are in the running below.

Shop bar cart options:

I’m also working on sprucing up the deck off of our master bedroom. I worked with JCPenney on this and they sent me some items which I shared some shots of on Instagram. I’m not quite done out here because I still need to plant the rest of my flowers. I just brought a few houseplants outside for these photos because it snowed the next day – oh the life of a blogger trying to get the shot with this weird weather. I also briefly contemplated climbing a nearby tree for a better shot – that wouldn’t be the weirdest thing my neighbors have seen me do I’m sure… So, stay tuned for more photos out here. Also, I have had lots of requests to link everything in this post, so I’ll do that below.

Shop this space:

Next up, one question I get asked often is if I have any regrets or things I would change now that we have lived in our house for 2 years. I plan on doing a blog post on this soon. Thankfully the regrets are few, and most are easy fixes, but I’m starting with one today. The basement carpet.

I hate it.

There I said it.

I’ve mentioned before that it’s not my fave and that it was way more of a teal color than I envisioned. On the swatch, it looked more like a deep gray with a blue undertone. Again I think this is one of those things that works better in photos than it does in person. It also shows every single fuzzy and crumb, so it looks dirty all of the time.

I feel like the color really limits me when it comes to how I decorate down here. I haven’t shown this space since the upstairs furniture was moved down here and that’s because I’m switching some things up still (I’ll be sharing my plans for this soon too!). I was on the hunt for a larger area rug to cover more of it up when I decided to just head to my local flooring store and see how much it would cost to finally swap it out. I picked out another inexpensive carpet in a neutral color and because we are keeping the same pad it will be less than $300 to replace! That’s actually cheaper than the rug I was looking at, and I can’t wait to have it installed!

Shop this space:

Sometimes, it’s best to just admit a design choice isn’t working and not be afraid to start over. This carpet isn’t a loss though, we are going to put it up in the pool house loft for now so the kids have something soft to play on this summer. More on that whole project soon too.

See? So many projects coming up – I’m just waiting on a few deliveries and things to click into place! You can click on any of the pictures above for the sources. Happy Weekend!

May 7, 2019 By Kelly 10 Comments

Purple and Blue Flower Boxes

It’s one of my favorite posts of the year – flower box time! I always have fun wandering around my local nursery (I like Cherry Valley Greenhouse if you are local) picking out new flowers and color combos to try. I decided on purple and blue flower boxes this year. Typically, I wait until the week of Mother’s Day to plant (which is usually safe frost wise for Michigan) so I went for it yesterday despite the rain. We do have a few chilly night temps in the ’40s expected this week still, so I will cover up my flowers on those nights. I can even pop them out (since I plant them in plastic liners) and stick them in the garage if need be.

A fitted twin sheet happens to be the perfect size to cover my window boxes. It stretches out around it so it stays put, but doesn’t crush my flowers. Although the friendly people at the nursery assured me with the boxes being so close to the house, and not in the ground they should stay warm enough.

AND you guys will be so proud of me – for once, not only did I remember to get the names of the flowers I used for you all, but I snapped a photo of the tags so you will know the exact info! I’m like a real legit organized blogger for once ;)

Our flower boxes get sun all morning so I went with all full sun/part sun-loving plants.

Wave Petunias – White
Lobularia – Lavender Stream
Verbena – Grape
Lobelia Erinus – Sky Blue
Vinca Vine

I usually like to share my window boxes when they have had a month or so to grow out. I have gotten so many comments and emails looking for ideas this year, that I thought I would quickly share what I used.

I like the purple and blue with some white thrown in there too for contrast. I think I’m going to stick with Endless Summer Hydrangeas and vinca vine in my planters like last year. I’ll use the same blue striped pillows also. I may choose a bit more purple looking hydrangea this year. I think the purple and blue flower boxes will play nicely with them. Here’s a photo from last year –

I liked the vinca vine so much in my planters last year, that I decided to add that to the flower boxes as well.

I wanted a more organic look this year vs the more structured flowers I did last year, so I went with flowers with smaller buds that trail. We shall see what I think! It’s always fun to experiment each year.

I will be sure to post an update later this summer when they fill out. Oh, and if you follow me on Instagram I posted some stories yesterday when I planted with a few tips. They are saved to my highlights so you can check them out anytime.

Additional posts you may find helpful:

Window Boxes That Won’t Fall Apart

How to get Gorgeous Window Boxes 5 tips

May 1, 2019 By Kelly 33 Comments

Dresser Makeover Brass Hardware

I have another quick furniture makeover for you all this week! I feel like it’s been a long time since I wandered around my house, paintbrush in hand, deciding on what to paint next. Something I used to do frequently at our old home. I think that’s because I actually got the right paint colors the first time around in this house. My painting clothes that used to be my daily uniform have been in hibernation lately, and it felt good to bust them back out!

While I was painting my breakfast nook table, which sidenote – thanks for all the love and support on that post! (see it here) I tend to get in my head a little bit when I share ideas and design on the internet and every one offers up their opinions and I so appreciate so many of you telling me to do what I love and not worry about everyone else – so thank you! It was a huge encouragement to me! But back to the furniture – I had the white paint out already, so I decided it was high time to finally fix this dresser.

I believe this was from my great grandmother’s house. My parents had it first and then passed it on to me when the Mr. and I got married 15 years ago. I first painted over the orange-ish wood when we put it in our guest room when my daughter was born 11 years ago. Since then it’s had quite a few more coats.

So many that I needed to give all the drawers a good sanding so they would open and close properly. This dresser had a bit of a rough go when it was in storage while we built this house and it was in bad shape. It had several large stains on it, some of the hardware screws were missing and most of the drawers were warped shut. I avoided showing this side of the room in most photos because it was in such rough shape (I piled books on to hide the worst of it), and I don’t know why it took me so long to tackle this. From far away it looked ok, but here is a before, far away, deliberately out of focus shot.

And after –

It only took me one day to clean, sand down, and apply 2 coats of satin Extra White by Sherwin Williams.

Thankfully a little paint and sandpaper fixed everything along with some fresh modern hardware. I decided to swap out the black spray painted hardware for this pretty brass hardware. They tie in well with our nightstands that also have brass hardware.

I had to fill in the old holes and drill new ones because I searched high and low and couldn’t find hardware that was the right size for this old dresser. Don’t let that intimidate you though, especially if you are painting, it’s a super easy process!

I shopped the house to style it for now while I’m on the hunt for the perfect accessories for it. I’m so happy I was able to breathe a little new life into this piece as it’s really freshened up our whole room. Bonus all the drawers actually open and close now and I found all my missing socks that have been trapped for the last two years… You can see more of our master bedroom here.

Charlie would also like you to note he was especially helpful during this project. His all day napping schedule was really thrown off with the noise of the drill, but he persevered and still approves of the final product. ;)

SOURCES: Contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Just click on each bold word to check out the products.

Hardware – Signature Hardware

Flooring – here

Plant – Snake Plant

Planter – Hobby Lobby

Brass thingy – Hobby Lobby

Wood tray – Home Depot

Beads – Hobby Lobby

Blanket – Here

April 24, 2019 By Kelly 90 Comments

White Breakfast Nook Table

Alright, alright, I’m mentally preparing myself for the litany of “I liked it better before” comments coming my way, but I have mentioned several times over the 2 years of owning this table that I wanted to paint it and every time I was met with a resounding “NO!” from you all. White Breakfast Nook Table

So let me present my case –

1. It’s one of those things that photographs well, but in real life didn’t quite work.

2. With all of the other natural wood pieces in our home (coffee table, dining room, console table, entry bench, new armchairs), it was starting to feel too much in our open floorplan and this piece stuck out as a different tone.

3. It wasn’t real wood. It had a faux finish laminate type top that looked good from far away, but it was not my favorite up close.

4. I felt like it was detracting from the wood beams rather than highlighting them.

5. It’s my table and I’ll paint it if I want to (sing it with me! “paint it if I want to, paint it if I want to”) ha ;)

Now that I have defended myself to the internet, I will say I’m so happy I finally painted it! The kitchen feels so much fresher now, and I love how the navy chairs really pop. I know they look almost black in photos, but in real life, they are a pretty blue color.

I also think the green pillows stand out more now as well.

I’m taking the idea of a rug in here for a test drive, so I took our entryway rug for a spin. It’s not quite big enough for the space, but I like the texture it adds. So I may add one in a larger size in here.

Although I’m cringing at the thought of spaghetti night with my kids, so I may hold off on this idea until they are older!

I used Extra White in Sherwin Williams in Satin finish for the table because I wanted it to be scrubbable since we eat dinner here every night. I spoke with the expert at my local paint store and his biggest tips for painting a piece that is going to get heavy use are:

TIPS FOR PAINTING FURNITURE

1. Clean the piece of furniture really well first. I used Challenger, which is a heavy-duty degreaser that he recommended.

2. Use high-quality paint. This is a formula that I bought from my local paint store that they recommend for furniture or cabinetry.

3. Give it time to cure. He recommended not eating on this table for 10 days so it can really harden up. Then using placemats for another 3 weeks after that. Once it has a good month to harden, it should be pretty indestructible and will hold up to everyday use without needing an additional sealer.

So there we go – a little old school DIY post for you! I’ll list all the room sources below.

SOURCE LIST: Contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Just click on each bold word to check out the products.

White paint – Extra White by Sherwin Williams

Wood floors – find them here

Table – here

Chairs – here

Rug – here

Blanket – here

Green Pillows – here and here

Blue Pillow – here

Rustic Beams – these were in the basement of the old cottage we tore down to build here

April 19, 2019 By Kelly 12 Comments

Outdoor Furniture Splurge vs Save

I’ve got summer on the brain, and I’m so ready for patio weather! However, it snowed here on Sunday. SO much snow that we had to road trip home from Nashville because our flight to O’Hare was canceled. As usual Michigan has its own ideas about springtime, and I’ll be captive inside a little longer. That doesn’t mean we can’t plan for sunnier skies so today (per your requests on Instagram!) I’m sharing a little Outdoor Furniture Splurge vs Save. I’ve linked to all of our outdoor furniture (most of it is on sale for Easter) along with some less expensive versions of the same look to help you get your house summer ready.

Let’s start over at the pool, which in its current state is closed and filled with leaves and bugs and who knows what other scary things it has accumulated over the winter.

Contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Just click on each bold word to check out the products.

I love our sectional from Hayneedle – it’s so comfy and the cushion covers are easy to wash. You can find it here.

I found this look for less, which isn’t quite the same configuration but would give you the same vibe. It’s a great deal at more than half off the price of our sectional. Find it here.

We also have these lounge chairs by our pool. I looked around and couldn’t find a less expensive version because they are already at a great price for a set of two, find them here.

Let’s swing over to our deck off the master – we have these amazing armchairs from Pottery Barn. You guys, I can’t believe I don’t have better photos of these! Our deck will be one of the first projects I shoot when the sun shows up, coming soon! Here is a view of them out our door at least ha!

Here’s what the Pottery Barn ones we have look like.

We actually had these at our old house too! I think we have had them for almost 5 years now and they have held up so well! I toss the covers in the washing machine every year and the wicker is still in perfect condition. They are an investment, but the quality is fantastic. Find them here.

I found this less expensive version here.

These are a good option too and they swivel, find them here.

Down by the patio, we have Adirondack chairs surrounding the firepit. I love the classic look of Adirondack chairs and we always keep a few out on the dock too. We have had the traditional wood variety, which if you are careful with them (storing them in the winter, painting or sealing any cracks especially on the legs of the chair), can last quite a long time. We also invested in some Polywood ones a few years back. They are made from recycled plastic, are super heavy duty, and maintenance free. Find our Polywood chairs here. Our firepit table is on sale this weekend too if you have been on the lookout for one, we love ours!

Here is the wood version from World Market that we have had for years and years now.

Here is a good sale on the plastic version.

We also have a Polywood dining table on our deck that we love and eat all our meals on in the summer. Find it here.

I love this less expensive version that would give you the same feel for waaay less. Plus, it has so many great reviews! I’m tempted to grab this for over by the pool. Find it here.

I’m also linking to most of the outdoor products we have around the house here as well if you are on the hunt this weekend. Just click on each image to get more info.

I hope you all have a blessed Easter weekend with your families. It looks like it may actually be warm and sunny for us, so we don’t need to wear snowsuits over our Easter dresses to church ;)

April 17, 2019 By Kelly 25 Comments

Lake House Blue and Gray Paint Colors

I have been meaning to update my Lake House Paint Colors post for forever! Or for about two years since we moved in at least. Paint colors can be so tricky to pick out and by far one of the most asked questions I get on the blog. I did a paint color post way back when we were in the framing stage of building about the colors I picked, but I thought it would be helpful to show photos of each of those colors in action! Lake House Blue and Gray Paint Colors

So first off, I’ll put this handy little graphic that shows all our colors in one spot. I like to make sure all the colors in a home flow together, so I think it’s really important to lay them all out and see how they coordinate. Also, I should add we have a TON of natural light in our home. We have wall to wall windows and a south facing view, so colors tend to look lighter and less saturated in our home than they appear on the paint chip. I always recommend painting a test swatch on your wall (or piece of poster board) to see what it will look like in your own home.

Helpful hint the code SW is for Sherwin Williams and BM is for Benjamin Moore. Also, I linked to each room so you can check out more photos of each color.

Sherwin Williams 7057 Silver Strand – We used this in our master bedroom and bath. It’s a really pretty silvery/blue/grey that changes a bit depending on the light. Here it is in our master bedroom.

Sherwin Williams 6217 Top Sail – This is a really soft pretty aqua that we used in my parent’s beach house. My daughter fell in love with it, so we used it in her beachy tween room. It is a great coastal color that still feels neutral. You can see it here in my parent’s kitchen as well.

Benjamin Moore HC – 165 Boothbay Gray – This is one of my favorite colors in our home. I used it in our Mudroom and it’s the perfect soft blue/gray color with a deeper hue than the Silver Strand. Our master bedroom and mudroom are on either side of our main living room area so you get a peek at both colors and I love the contrast against all our white trim work.

Sherwin Williams 7029 Agreeable Gray – This is one of the best neutral greige colors. It is warm without feeling too beige, and it doesn’t have yellow or purple undertones, which can be a tricky problem with grey paint colors. It’s really one of those colors that goes anywhere, and is a perfect transition color for in-between spaces like hallways, etc. We used it in our basement family room – see more photos here.

Sherwin Williams 7024 Functional Gray – My son actually picked this color for his room (out of 3 or 4 gray options I gave him) and I must say he has good taste! I was worried originally this was going to feel a little dark, but it really makes the room cozy and has a nice masculine vibe.

Sherwin Williams 7006 Extra White – It’s tempting to think all white paint is just white paint, but there are a zillion shades of white to choose from, and it can really be one of the harder paint colors to pick. Extra White won my heart after an exhaustive search. It is a really true white without any blue or yellow undertones, but it doesn’t feel cold or stark either. All of our trim, white cabinetry, board and batten, and ceilings are this color. You can see more of it in our living room here. Lake House Blue and Gray Paint Colors

Benjamin Moore HC 155 Newburyport Blue – We went with navy cabinets in our basement wet bar and this is nice deep navy color.

Sherwin Williams 9140 Blustery Sky – I get a ton of questions about this paint color on our kitchen island and our master bathroom cabinets. It is one of those colors that looks completely different at all times of the day. It is much brighter when the sun comes out and has more of a teal look, but on rainy days it looks much more gray.

Here’s another look at it in our bathroom.

Sherwin Williams 0055 Light French Gray – Lastly we used this pretty gray paint for our pantry and laundry room cabinets. I wanted to switch it up from all the white cabinetry and these smaller spaces were a great place to add a little something different.

So there you go – I hope that helps you see what each paint color looks like live and in action! Like I said, colors can look SO different based on lighting, flooring, other items in the room, etc… So, be sure to try a sample in your own space before making any major decisions!

Lake House Blue and Gray Paint Colors

April 10, 2019 By Kelly 13 Comments

Lake House Entryway – Way Days

You all know I loooove to online shop, and one of my favorite places to shop online is Wayfair. Tons of pieces in our home are from Wayfair, so when they asked me to partner in sharing about their best sale of the year, I was in! It’s Wayfair Way Days 36 hour sale today and tomorrow, and these are the best prices you will find on everything from Wayfair. Wayfair is offering free shipping sitewide with up to 80% off rugs, bedding, furniture, lighting and more!

I did a little refresh of our entryway here with a few new Wayfair pieces and I’ll also link to all the other Wayfair pieces in our house below as well.

My $15 flea market bench was always a little small for this space, so this new longer bench fits the space so much better and I love the lighter wood for spring/summer. It’s actually an indoor/outdoor bench, so I could totally see this looking so pretty on a front porch as well!

I added this cozy but lightweight throw for spring and a fun neutral lumbar pillow. I love the shape of this pillow it would be great on a bed as well.

My fiddle fig tree didn’t love the draft over here all winter, so it relocated to the living room and a new snake plant found it’s home in this sweet basket also from Wayfair.

I haven’t had a rug in here forever because I couldn’t find something I loved that wouldn’t compete with the floor pattern. I love this neutral option that will hopefully hide the sand coming in all summer and keep the flip flops at bay. The color is really subtle but it adds a nice texture to our space.

This space feels so fun and fresh and ready to welcome spring and summer!

I’ve linked below all of my other fave Wayfair items we have in our home, many of which are on sale today! Check them all out below and be sure to hit up the WayDays Wayfair sale before it ends tomorrow. You can see all the great sales here.

I’ve also included a few pieces below that I don’t have in my own home but they are some of their best selling items that are on super sale today!

March 29, 2019 By Kelly 12 Comments

Friday Feels – Faves Lately

It’s been a while since a good old fashioned random Friday Feels post! So, here we go with a few favorite things I’ve picked up lately.

1. If I Have to Tell You One More Time by Amy McCready – I’ve been listening to this parenting book lately while I clean or run errands (Sidenote – I love the audible app and so does the Mr. for his 30-minute commute every day). Bonus – the Mr. has been listening to it as well, so we can be on the same page parenting wise. It’s all about positive parenting and I’m only a 1/4 of the way through, but I’ve already implemented a few changes and I’m seeing a difference in my kid’s behavior. The biggest take away so far is we have been trying to spend intentional one-on-one time with each of our kids every day, which has been great!

2. Just Between Us: Mother & Daughter: A No-Stress, No-Rules Journal. This is another parenting type book that I talked about in my holiday gift guide for kids. My daughter has been loving this book and so have I. My 11-year-old doesn’t always like to open up and talk, so this gives us the opportunity to do it via journaling. There are all sorts of fun prompts like – favorite things, things I would like to do together, what I hope etc. and then a section for your daughter to write and a section for the mother to write back. We have been passing this journal back and forth; she will pick a page and fill it out and leave the bookmark in it and leave it on my nightstand. I’ll fill out my section and leave it on her bed for when she gets home from school. It’s been a really sweet way to bond and learn about her feelings. I also think it will be so fun for her to look back on when she is grown up too.

3. Tazo Glazed Lemon Loaf Tea – I’m obsessed with this tea! One of my fave blogger friends Michael at Inspired by Charm mentioned it on his Instagram stories a few weeks ago, and I was so glad I found it in my local grocery store. It tastes like a lemon vanilla gingerbread cake, but it has no calories and it’s caffeine free. I usually have a glass of wine at night after we put the kids to bed, but I gave that up for Lent, so this tea has become my substitute. It’s so nice when you want something to sip on, or a great alternative if you are trying to cut out sweets. They also have these other flavors as well, but the lemon is the best!

4. Zober Slack/Trouser pants hangers – I spent all last week organizing my closet, and I love these hangers! I hung up all my jeans, dress pants and even my leggings. It has freed up so much space, and my closet is way more organized. They have a rubber coating on them so nothing slides off and the design makes it easy to hang them up, no clips to deal with.

5. Speaking of jeans, I splurged on a few new pairs of jeans at Madewell for my birthday during their sale, and I absolutely love them. I picked up the fun button front pair and these distressed black jeans that have the perfect amount of distressing. I think the color I bought may be sold out still, so I linked them in a different wash too. I’d share a photo of me wearing them, but they are packed away in my suitcase for spring break. I will say I got a gazillion dm’s about them on instastories last week – they are the best!

6. Ok, and this Cauliflower Gnocchi from Trader Joes is SO good! Ignore the directions on the package and saute them instead of boiling them. I like to saute garlic, onions, and mushrooms with them for some extra flavor. Then I toss it with our favorite pesto or marinara sauce. I even roasted peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes in the oven and tossed that in as well with a cream sauce for a pasta primavera type dish. The Mr. was shocked to find out that it was made with cauliflower. We try to eat meat-free meals at least once or twice a week, and this is one of my favorite alternatives to pasta.

7. Pravana Purple Toning Blonde Shampoo – I feel like I’ve shared a lot lately about our hard water issues here, and this shampoo helps get the brass out of my blonde hair. I keep it on for a few minutes in the shower and use it twice a week. It takes the orange right out of my hair. Just be careful not to leave it on too long unless you like purple hair :)

I think that’s all I got this week! We are headed back down to Florida for spring break to visit my parent’s again today, and I can’t wait for a week of sunshine and sand. I can’t complain though, the sun has been shining lately here in Michigan and it has been so nice! PS these are my happy shoes you can find them here :)

March 27, 2019 By Kelly 53 Comments

Grey and Blue Mudroom

I’m not sure how this slipped by me, but the other day, I had a reader ask me about our mudroom, and I realized that I never officially blogged about it! I’ve shared glimpses here and there when talking about chores and organizing (see more about that here), but today I’ll finally get to all the details.

This space is right off our garage so the kids can come right in and dump their stuff. It also acts as a hall to our laundry room and 1/2 bath. Bringing the groceries in is easy with access to the kitchen around the corner as well.

I knew in this house I wanted all hidden storage. Those beautiful open style lockers and cubbies are so tempting because I love the look, but man they are so not practical with kids. We had open lockers at the last house and they looked like a hot mess all the time. You all know I’m kind of a neat freak, but unfortunately, my kids did not inherit this trait. Especially as they have gotten older, there is just more and more stuff. Backpacks, soccer bags, basketball uniforms, piano books, church stuff, shoes, papers, etc. They all need a place to go, preferably where I don’t have to look at them!

This time around, I knew I wanted a simple design of a locker for each of us (the Mr. has just as much work stuff and books that he is constantly bringing home too).

We chose cabinets on the top for seasonal items we may not be using that often and baskets below for easy to reach “what we need now” items.

Once spring hits (or really hits despite what the calendar says), all the snow clothes will move up to the upper cabinets and the flip flops, soccer cleats, etc. will move down to the bottom baskets.

I talked in this post here about how swapping out baskets instead of drawers not only saved a lot of money, but added so much more character and texture to this space. Plus, they are actually easier to pull all the way out and search for mittens if need be. After this winter, we are down to approximately 3 left mittens and a bright pink right one that no one will claim.

One tip I did this time around was putting in low and high hooks in my kids’ lockers. They were constantly climbing in the cubbies at the last house because they couldn’t reach the hooks to hang up their stuff. They have no excuse here! They look really clean at the moment because my kids were at school when I shot this, so half of their stuff isn’t in here right now.

I also have their school schedules, chore charts, and activities taped in here so they know what’s going on without me having to remind them constantly (you can read more about that here).

This window seat over here was originally supposed to be a set of drawers too, but I decided the open space to move around in here was better than more storage.

The seat is a great spot to tie shoes in the morning or take a nap while you wait for your little brother to finally finish his cheerios. This seat has such a pretty view when the ice is melted on the lake and that tree is full of leaves.

Charlie’s toys stay in this basket over here, which he routinely tips over and scatters everywhere – he is definitely the messiest kid in the house!

We went with slate tile in here that carries through to the laundry room and bathroom. I have had a few questions about whether this shows dirt more than a lighter tile, and I’d say in the winter it does, but it’s still worth it to me because I love the classic look.

The transom detail was a fun touch to add both here and above our master bedroom doors. They aren’t actual windows – the trim guys built casings for them and inserted the glass.

There you go, one more room down! I think the last room I have to share is my son’s bathroom? Which maybe I’ll finish one of these days.

SOURCE LIST – (contains affiliate links)

Montauk Blue Slate Floor – BuildDirect

Rug – Wayfair, but it’s sold out

Wall Paint Color – Boothbay Gray by Benjamin Moore

Trim and Cabinet Color – Extra White by Sherwin Williams

Baskets – my local grocery store Meijer

Laundry and bath wallpaper – Here

Pillow – Here

Toy Basket – I’ve had it for 15 years, no clue!

Light fixture – here

March 22, 2019 By Kelly 2 Comments

Fave Must Have Makeup Products

Lately, when I do Instagram stories (which I’m trying to be better about, but let’s face it – it’s awkward talking to yourself into your phone), I am flooded with dm’s about what makeup I use or what eyeshadow I’m wearing. Which is so nice but, I certainly don’t claim to be an expert. I do have my tried and true favorites though, so I thought I would link them all here for you in one spot!

Just click on each bold word to check out the products. Contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.

Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer – I love this primer for keeping my makeup in place; if I’m going to go through all that work, I want it to stay put and this really does the job!
CC Cream your Skin But Better by It Cosmetics – I have 2 go to foundations first up this CC cream is what I use on a “better skin day” when I don’t need as much coverage it also has SPF 50 in it which I love. I use a damp beauty blender to apply it and it’s so natural looking.
MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation – This is my more full coverage foundation. I have bad melasma that really gets worse in the summer (despite my constant sunscreen applications and ever-present hat) and this really covers anything even my melasma mustache ;)
Eden Shadow Primer Potion by Urban Decay – I swear by this stuff. I have kind of hooded eyes, and if I don’t use this, my eyeshadow is completely creased within hours.
Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Concealer – I follow that up with the popular concealer shape tape, I love this stuff! It seems to be every beauty bloggers holy grail and I feel the same.
Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Setting powder – I set my whole face lightly with this powder.
Becca under eye brightening corrector – I tap this under my concealer to combat my dark circles. It really brightens your undereye area and makes you look more awake.
Tarte Hamptons Weekender Contour Pallete – I love this little bronzer/blush/highlighter compact and it’s great to travel with or throw in your purse. I love that it has everything you need in one palette.
Anastasia Dipbrow Eyebrows in blonde – I have like zero eyebrows. They are blonde and thinning (thanks to crazy hormonal changes) and this dip brow totally saves me. Grab this brush to apply it with!
Tarte 2 in Bloom Clay Eyeshadow Palette – This is my go-to eyeshadow for day and night. It has a combo of matte and shimmer (not scary glitter, pretty shimmer) options and they are all easy to wear neutrals with a few deeper colors for a more dramatic eye.
Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Mascara – This is my go-to mascara I use it with this drug store primer underneath.
Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner – This stuff stays put and goes on so easy because it has a felt tip like a sharpie marker.
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. Last, I hit my whole face with this setting spray to keep everything put. If you have never used a setting spray, I was pretty skeptical too, but it’s like hairspray for your face – it really makes a difference when I use it!

As far as my lips go, I always use a nude liner and either a Buxom Plumping Lip Polish (I have it a bunch of colors) or my fave drugstore find is NYX Butter Gloss.

There you go – everything in my beauty arsenal! Now to actually get out of my workout clothes and use some of this stuff ;)

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