Making a House a Home - Fall Candles

Hey There!

I love burning candles. Scenting my house is a favorite way to get into the season. I don't like the change in weather but I do like the change in colors and scents. I already have some Fall candles from end of season sales last year. But I have picked up a few new candles this past week.

I wanted to add some Halloween candles to my decor so I picked up this Chesapeake Bay Candle Campfire Marshmallow candle. It has a slightly sweet marshmallow smell and I'm excited to burn it. The color is dark and the twine makes it fall-ish. I picked up a great candle holder from the Goodwill thrift store with this candle in mind.

This Sweet Pea and Pomegranate candle isn't really a fall scent but the color of the jar is pretty and kinda goes with my Halloween decorating theme (purple and black). The scent is a lightly sweet fruit smell. It's not over powering or anything, but I think it will smell so good.

I ran into Target this past weekend and went beyond the candle aisle end cap and walked down the actual aisle. I never do that. I love their regular candles but wasn't ready to purchase the new ones that they had (I don't know why). So I wandered down the aisle and found the Pure Clean Soy candles. The one that I fell in love with is the Lavender Lemonade scent. Man!!! Ok, so it's not a fall scent but it smells so fantastic I needed to have it. I'll put it in my bedroom so it won't clash with the Halloween-ness of my front rooms.

I also have some smell goods until it's time to light a pumpkin candle. I have some Luminessence Fragrance Oils in Apple Cinnamon, Pumpkin Pie and Black Cherry. I like these because when I get a candle that doesn't burn well or has a bad room throw, I can add a few drops of fragrance oil and make the candle smell good again.

I also have wax melts that I don't use as often as I use to but I still love them. I have my Iced Winter Cranberry and Toffee Nut Crisp. These Better Homes and Gardens wax cubes are fantastic! They have scents that fill a room and make you think something is cooking or baking. I enjoy popping them into my scent warmer.

So I'm ready to change the scent of my home from sweet, summer smells to warm, holiday smells.

What candle are you burning? Did you purchase it this season or last?

Making a House a Home - Method Brand Fabric Softener

Hey there!

I got a $3 off coupon for Method Home products. I've been interested in their laundry products for a while, so I used this as the opportunity to try something new. I've tried their hand soap in the regular and foaming (it was fine) and I've tried their dish liquid (it was fine as well). I hadn't tried their laundry products at all.

The normal price for the Method fabric softener at Target was $6.99 and I got 10% off using my Cartwheel app, so I only paid $3.29 for this 50 load bottle. Score! I like a good discount. I got the Fresh Air scent. The scent is pleasant enough. It's light and fresh, just as the name suggests.

Unfortunately, the scent does not carry. The method (ha! get it?!) of delivery is a pump system and you are supposed to use 4 pumps for each load. Well, 4 pumps makes the clothes kinda soft but it doesn't leave a smell. I mean, your towels don't stink but they don't smell good. I changed the amount we use and that made a bit of a difference.

I also changed the method of delivery because the pump broke about halfway through. I wasn't doing anything weird, just using it as directed and it just broke. Rather than just try to fix it, I decided to pour it into another fabric softener container.

So, at $3.29, this product wasn't bad. I have to almost double what they suggest I use in order for it to work for me. At $6.99, HAIL NO! My Suavitel is $3.29 at the most (I normally only pay $2.99). There is no way I'm gonna pay twice the price for half the product!

No, this was a fail for me. I don't think I'll be making this purchase again.

Making a House a Home - Donating

(photo credit - some place on the web - borrowed with love)

Hey there!

I know. I know. If I mention that I am moving one more time, you are going to drive over to my house and beat me up. Well since you're driving over to my house anyway, can you help pack a box or two? Thanks. Much appreciated.

I have two major areas going on in my apartment right now. I have the stuff that I am carefully boxing up for moving and then a pile of bags and boxes and containers of things that I am donating to the thrift store. I knew when I began packing up my home that not everything was going to make the cut for the new place. It's a mindset when you get a new place. You are starting over fresh; a new beginning if you will. You'd like to take everything but, not everything can come with you.

I've taken this to the extreme. I have been very careful and thoughtful about what my new place will be and what it won't be. That has meant that I have planned quite a bit and some of the stuff that has accumulated for the last 6 years just cannot come to my new beginning.

(Side note; am I the only person in the world that doesn't move each year? I have friends that I have known for a good 10 years and they have moved about 8 times. Since becoming a single gal, I've lived in my neighborhood for 11 years and have only lived in 3 apartments. Is that weird? Am I normal? Never mind. Don't answer that question).

So, the first room of my new place that I visualized was my kitchen. My current kitchen is very white and airy and light and refreshing. When I moved into my place I said that it was like the beach house that you rent every year -- cool, calm and carefree. The white cabinets make it so open and breezy. The problem was it got dirty quickly and the cabinet space was pretty dismal. The new place is a bit darker with a deep cabinet color but there is twice as much cabinet space. For a foodie, this is heaven. Because the color is richer, I feel like I have to make the kitchen richer.

What I mean is, instead of a spot where I have my Keurig machine and some coffee pods, I need to create a coffee station. I need a small space that makes my morning coffee experience elegant and special. Instead of pulling out my Kitchen Aid mixer every time I make brownies for the office, I need to have a stable baking station. My Kitchen Aid mixer needs to be spit shined (ok, kinda gross in the kitchen) and I need to have the basic baking supplies right next to it so that it would appear that I am a pastry chef at the ready. While these types of changes might not excite you in the least, I feel so ready to make this kitchen a reality!

 

(photo credit - some place on the web - borrowed with love)

And that means I need to give up some of the current clutter bug pieces that currently live in my airy, beach kitchen. I've packed up a ton of plastic cups and old plates that I never use. I have them "just in case". You know..."just in case" extra people come over. And, "just in case" I throw a party. I even have some older plastic containers "just in case" I have to take something to work. Well, all of those "just in case" kitchen items are going to someone else's house, "just in case".

The next room that I visualized was my living room. Again, it currently reminds you of a beach house and I decorated it as such. I didn't paint the accent walls so I had to use bright art work to make the room pop. In my new place, there is a painted accent wall and while the room is bright, if comes off of the heels of a darker kitchen. I still wanted to maintain a bright feel but change the coloring just a little bit. That means that the beachy items have to go. A few shells might remain but a bulk of those things will go to another home where they can be loved just a little bit better. Instead, I'm going to reintroduce my books on the book shelves and add fewer trinkets and more blank space. I'm going a tad bit cleaner.

There are many other things that I plan on doing in my new space. I am creating a smaller eating area and making the dining room into an office space for me and the kiddo. I'm making my bedroom into a glam room and my bathroom into a spa retreat. And, the closet...well, look out baby! That means a good portion of my current toys will have to go to new homes. And, after 6 years, that is totally ok! It's time to freshen things up and create a new world. After all, I feel like I'm stepping into a new chapter of my life.

That means I'll make sure I take you with me. You ready to move? Come and grab a box.

No, seriously, come and get this box. It's heavy!

Making a House a Home - Stor It Vacuum Storage Bag

Hey There!

I realized I've neglected my Making a House a Home series (ha! one previous post). I can't do that to you good people. Some of you are just waiting to see what you need to do to perfect the place that you live in! If you guys are waiting on me, you poor dears, you probably need to pick up a proper house decorating magazine. You know I don't have any decorating sense! My house theme is "beach front property". It has been that for five years.

But I digress. For those of you that find my house and home posts insightful (or just plain funny) I have a find for you.

I found this Stor It Vacuum Storage Bag at my local Dollar Tree. I had heard so many YouTubers tout its fantasticness. I decided that I needed to try this baby out. With this being only a dollar, it could be the discovery of the year. The kiddo has a ton of clothes and each season, she trades things out. Right now she has three boxes over flowing with summer clothes. I, on the other hand, moved my summer clothes to a 2 foot space in my closet (#ImTheMomIssues).

This Stor It Vacuum Storage Bag said that it gives you three times more space, it's airtight and waterproof and great for storing pillows, bedding, soft toys, clothing and towels. I'm just interested in clothing right now and I have no plans on testing the waterproof theory.

The instructions tell you to pack the bag, close the bag, unscrew the valve cap, suck out the air with a vacuum and screw the valve cap back on. So, I did just that. Except, I don't have a vacuum with a circular hose. My hose is rectangular. So, I opened a bit of the bag and sucked out the air that way and you know what?

IT WORKED!!

Originally when I filled the bag with clothes, It was 8 1/3" high. I didn't count what I put in there but it was the contents of a full paper box. When I sucked the air out, it was 6 1/2" high. I forgot to measure the length of the bag pre and post vacuum, but I can tell you that there was about 2" of shrinkage. That's quite a bit. No, that doesn't seem like 3 times the space BUT when you look at the airless bag, you realize that you can take 2 of these and put them upright in the empty paper box. I do think that it gives you twice the space but not 3 times the space.

But let's be honest. This is a $1 bag. If I can purchase 3 of these and make room for the kiddos off season clothes, my off season clothes and maybe the scarves and gloves that you don't need, then it is certainly worth it.

My vote is that you run out to your dollar store and pick up 2 or 3 of these bags. I think you will be as impressed as I was.

Making a House a Home - Fall Decor

Table runner and kitchen towels in shades
of orange, brown and yellow.

Hey There!

This weekend I went all crazy lady and pulled out all my orange napkins, my leaf table runner, my multicolored foliage trees, my pumpkin scented candles… you get the point. I went all Seasonal on my house.

Candles, candles and more candles. Pumkin, apple
and kitchen spice scents. My house always smells yummy!

Most people that know me wouldn’t expect me to redecorate the house several times a year but I do. I like the idea of changing up my living space. Three or four times a year I air out my decorations and hang something new on the walls. I keep those Scotch Removable Wall Mounting tabs up all year. I’m hanging garland or pumpkins or something on them most of the time. My sofa and table cloths are neutral colors so I can use seasonal pops of color to make them festive. All it takes is a pillow or two or an inexpensive glass vase in different colors (yellow for summer, orange for fall, blue for winter – to match my Christmas tree and you can throw in a red one for Valentine’s day, green for Easter – you get the picture!). You can also use a seasonal throw on the back of the sofa (Wal-Mart has them for $5.88 most of the time), table cloth change, really anything that changes the color or a room will prepare it for the holiday ahead.

Pumpkins in deep orange and chocolate.
Sparkly ones too!

And stores like Target, Walmart, HomeGoods, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx…you get the picture, make it sooo easy to do this! You can walk in, spend $50 and come out with bags and bags of home décor. I personally catch most of my things at the end of each season and save them for the next yeat. It doesn’t take much, just a bit of planning.