Add a Pop of Color- My Top Picks!

When I passed by HGTV Home's Pop of Color issue last month, I couldn't help but get it! I decided to go with neutral paint colors in my home. Since I'm not a fan of beige, I ended up choosing a lot of grays. This prompted my dad to nickname my house "50 shades of gray". HGTV Home Magazine really inspired me to add in some bright and colorful furniture items to get my house ready for summer. I decided to round up some of my favorite items to add pops of color to your home.  The best part- they're all under $250!

*This post contains affiliate links.

I just love this turquoise stool.  It would look super cute around your kitchen island or outside on your deck.  

If you're into a subtle pop of color, this table fits the bill perfectly!

I love this rug!  It's the perfect pop of color for my neutral home.

This stool will make a big impact without taking up a lot of space.

This red bookcase would brighten up any space.

Add this mirror for a burst of energy!

Though a bit pricey, this pillow is both fun and sassy.

I want this adorable headboard for my room! How dreamy is this?

I love this colorful table! It's a perfect little writing desk that can fit in a small area or corner.

Looking for more inspiration? Be sure to follow my home decor Pinterest board!

How do you add pops of color in your home? Let me know!

Why I chose Zola For My Wedding Registry

Today's Wedding Wednesday is all about registries. Picking out gifts for people to buy for you- what could be better! I'm using Zola for my registry, and I'm loving it! Zola is great because it has a clean interface, makes suggestions, and has a great phone app.  It even has a browser button you can download to add things to your registry with the click of a button! Check out more of their features below.

Clean Interface

Zola's organized, easy-to-use interface makes it simple to search for items by category, room, or brand. It's also really easy for your guests to see what's been purchased.

Browser Button

Zola has a super handy "add to Zola" button, so that you can add things to your registry right from the webpage! It works in a similar way the Pinterest button does.

Suggestions

Zola has loads of suggestions, and even has lists of the basic items you'll need with options in various price ranges.

Gift Tracker

The gift tracker shows how many items were purchased, who bought them, and their value.  You can even export the list to excel! This will make "thank you" notes super easy.

Group Contribution Option

For large ticket items, you have the option to allow guests to contribute towards the purchase. Even if you don't get enough funds to purchase the item, you get to keep all the credits to make a purchase on their site.  The credits never expire!

Phone App

On the mobile app, you can edit your registry on the go! You can browse their extensive database or use the barcode scanner in stores. You can also use their Blender setting to explore random items, and swipe left or right to add or skip!

Control Shipping

With Gift Tracker, you can decide whether you want an item shipped to you right away, or if you want them to hold it for a later time.

Online Gift Swap

Change your mind on an item you selected? No problem! You can convert the gifts into credit, or exchange them before you receive them. Easy peasy!

Gift Options

You can add experiences (like cheese of the month or cooking classes), funds (like a honeymoon or downpayment), or fun weekend items (like a tent or bike).

So what do you think? Are you ready to create an account? Let me know your email address and we'll each get $50!

DIY Donut Party Platter with Sprinkles

Updated: December 22, 2018

I had no idea when I made this post (my second DIY blog post, ever!) that it would become as popular as it did. I’ve since updated some of the photos, and will soon be re-creating the DIY for you so that you can have much better images to work with! Thank you for loving the post so much. Please be sure to tag me when posting on social media, or adding your photo to the “tried it” section on Pinterest!

For my birthday, I had a Sugar Sweet birthday party. I had so much fun planning and setting up for this party. It had everything you need for a sugar coma, including cotton candy champagne and a DIY candy bar. To add to the ambiance, I decided to make a fun donut platter! The great news is that the platter is food safe and reusable. So what are you waiting for? Go grab your supplies and lets get started!

You'll need:
Clear Round Platter (I got mine from Party City, similar here)
Acrylic Paint (similar here)
Foam Brushes (here)
Paintbrushes (similar here)
Mod Podge (here)
Qtips for cleanup
 

1. Thoroughly wash and dry your platter.  We'll be painting the underside.  This is to make sure it's food safe!

2. Place the platter food-side down. Using the acrylic paint and a thin paintbrush, draw the sprinkles on first. I found that thicker, more opaque sprinkles showed better.  Turn the plate over and make sure you're happy with the placement and quantity.  Let dry according to directions.

Did you make a sprinkle that's too fat or in the wrong place? Just wipe it off with water!

Paint on those sprinkles!

Let dry according to directions. Then it's time for frosting!

3. If you're using a divided platter, fill in the gaps carefully first. You can be sloppy about it and wipe it off with a q-tip like I did, but that's much harder- learn from my mistake!

Messy messy middle!

Paint the frosting on in a zigzag shape. Let dry and add another coat to make sure it's thick. Be sure to turn it over and check for any gaps in the paint. Note: At this point, the paint is really delicate and scratches easily. Use caution when flipping it and maneuvering it.

4. Once your frosting is dry, paint the rim of the tray as your base donut color. If it's sheer, do another coat and let dry several hours or overnight if possible.

5. Put on a coat or two of mod podge.  This will seal the design and make it waterproof.  I did two coats, one going vertically and one going horizontally.

And that's all folks!  I think this would look adorable in a little girls' room holding their hair clips or for tea parties.  How do you plan to use your new platter?  Let me know in the comments below!

How to Organize... when you weren't planning to!

So, you went into your junk drawer to grab a set of spare keys for your mother. You found birthday candles, 7 expired coupons, and that gift card you needed last month. Soon enough, you've emptied the entire contents of the drawer onto the counter and you're going through everything, trying to get rid of the junk lurking beneath the surface. You certainly didn't intend to organize the junk drawer- you were only looking for a key! Before you know it, you've taken everything out and won't rest until you've put everything back in its place.

If you're anything like me, this happens all. the. time. I didn't want to clean out the junk drawer, but somehow I'm elbows deep in junk. When you don't plan to organize, it can be hard to get the project done, and done right. Here are some suggestions to finish up the task you didn't mean to start!

*This post contains affiliate links.

1. Start a shopping list. This is oh-so-important. As you go along, you'll say, "Wow I wish I had a small box for xyz." By the end of your purge, you'll forget what you needed- and probably be ready to just flop on the couch in exhaustion and forget all about that J-U-N-K drawer. I recommend quickly jotting down what you want/need to get this space organized once-and-for-all as you go along. This way, you can hop on Amazon or head to the store when you're finished and know exactly what you need. 

2.  Grab a ruler. Creating a list is great, but having measurements for the items on your list is just as important. Otherwise, you'll end up with a box that just about fits, but doesn't. I never (always) do this.

3. Be descriptive. When you set out to purchase the items on your list, you may be left wondering what they're for. Why did I need 3 over-the-door organizers again?! When you're making your list, write down what you plan to put in each box, how many you need, or what color you want it to be. It's better to have more information than not enough when you go shopping to avoid making another trip- and buying more junk you didn't need but had to have.

4. Go dumpster diving. When you've started a project you didn't intend to, sometimes you have to improvise. Grab a cardboard box, shipping envelope, yogurt container, etc. These can be a great and affordable way to corral your items, even just temporarily. Don't worry about decoupaging your container right now. That's a task for another day!

5.  Think outside the (pretty) box. Sure, we all want our drawers and cabinets to look as gorgeous as they do in magazines. But sometimes, making it organized doesn't necessarily mean it's picture-worthy. Don't worry about having expensive containers or purchasing all new boxes for them to match perfectly. Make use of what you have. As long as you can get in and out without a headache, you're golden!

6. Label everything. Sometimes, labeling can be overkill- no need to label your label maker (unless you want to!). As a rule of thumb, anything you can't see should definitely be labeled. This prevents having to open all those pretty boxes to find what you need. Think of it this way- if you can't remember where it goes, there's a good chance it will end up somewhere else (probably in a pile).  So, invest in a label maker! I have this one and love it.

7.  Keep a few extra containers on hand. Notice I said a few containers- don't hoard them! When I'm at a store and see something I love for organization, I might grab one even if I don't know the perfect size or what will go in it. As you're re-organizing, it's great to have at least a few options for where to put your items. If the containers don't end up working, no big deal. You can always return them or try them in another room.  

8. Don't stop halfway. This one is super important- don't make what was a hidden nightmare a public menace. Put as much away as possible. For everything left, make sure you either put it in its new home or throw it away. I'm sure your husband/wife/cat won't be pleased when he/she discovers your brand-new tabletop landfill. And opening the drawer to show them how neat it is when there's a new pile of junk in plain sight won't impress them. Trust me on this one.

Want more great tips on how to be an organizing superstar? Be sure to follow my organization board on Pinterest!

I hope you found these suggestions to be helpful!  What are your tips for impromptu organizing?

5 Easy Steps for Party Setup

This is part three of my party planning series.  Be sure to check out part one and two!

The day has come- it's party time! Hopefully you've checked out my other articles, and are fully prepared for the party that's about to happen ;) Before everyone comes over, here are a few tips to get your party started on the right foot!

 Photo Sources: Find the items here

Budget your time. Plan out how long you think it will take you to set up, and add an hour. It always takes me so much longer to set up than I think! Save yourself the stress, and budget at least an extra hour for your prep time. This way you won't have to be getting dressed or doing your hair as your guests arrive.

Label all your food. Unless you want to spend the entire party listing out each item on your table, I recommend creating simple labels to let your guests know what's being served. You can find lots of printables online, or use items related to your theme. For example, I used heart shaped doilies to label the food at my Valentine's Day Party. This prevented me from having to explain and looked much cuter than keeping everything in its jar. If someone has a food allergy or dietary restrictions, it can be helpful to label that as well. Make small toothpick flags that say "gluten free", "vegetarian", or "nut safe" and place them in the appropriate dishes.

Prep your plates. Clear off all your surfaces and put on your tablecloths and table runners. Place all platters onto your table and take some time to arrange them in a way that is visually appealing. It's better to do this before the food comes because you can play around with the layout and decide what looks best where. Then, you can grab each plate and put the food items on it- bonus points if your labels are placed next to each plate beforehand as well!

Start early. If possible, start decorating the night before. Put up wall hangings and lanterns, set up the photo booth, or string up the lights. The less you have to do on the day of the event, the better! You never know if something will come up and leave you scrambling at the last minute.

Be helpful to those helping you. If you're lucky enough to have assistance prepping for your party, take a little time to plan out what exactly you'll need them to do. Are they heating up the food? Make a list of the items in the order they need to be cooked, and at which temperature.  Are they doing decor? Draw a quick diagram of how you want things to go and where basic supplies are located. This way, you don't spend the whole time delegating tasks and can instead focus on what you need to finish up!

What if you didn't plan ahead and don't have enough time- now what?! The first step is to relax. Even though you're out of time, take a minute to take some deep breaths. Make your exhales longer than your inhales. If you haven't showered, do that. It will give you some time to relax and make a game plan. Then, start to eliminate unnecessary tasks. Maybe you don't need to make that super complicated drink you were planning. Or, only do the things you can't do after guests arrive, like cleaning the house or decorating. If your food won't be ready in time, put out some simple appetizers and encourage conversations between guests so you can focus on finishing. Accept help if someone offers, but avoid putting everyone to work- you want them feeling like a guest, not restaurant staff.

Be sure to follow my Party Inspiration Pinterest Board for TONS of fun party ideas!