Tips to Hide Scent Bags

Do you buy the scent bags? I absolutely love these things... nothing smells like these do. I need all the help I can get with 3 dogs (I know crazy to have 3 dogs... long story). I am constantly trying to find ways to make the air fresh in my home. Spray air freshener is great for short term or burning candles but NOTHING smells like these bags do and they last weeks!! So how to get that smell inside home without laying them all over the place?

Every time I walk into stores that have these things, the entire aisle smells fantastic!! I always have used these in my dresser drawers but just do not like leaving them out. 

So today, I am going to share my secret to get that fresh smell in your home all over but without having to lay out the bags. 

It's quite simple and I wish I would have thought of it sooner... 

Problem solved......you ready for it? It is stupid simple tip .....

Tape them to the underneath of all your tables and get that fresh smell all over the house without seeing them! Or how about taping them to the top of your ceiling fan (not the blades) so when it runs you smell the awesome scent throughout the room. You can even tape them behind large decorations! Just make sure to use high quality tape so it doesn't fall.

Bam! Instant Air Freshener in the room leaving everyone wondering why your house smells so great..

Try it out.. 

For tips on how to hide cords from lamps etc.. check out click below. Thrifty Decor Chic has fabulous ways to hide those cords..

Click here to visit her blog: ThriftyDecorChic

Faux Board and Batten with Lattice & Chair Rail

Happy Sunday! So this weekend I took on the task of re-doing my foyer. I still have some small items to finish off but wanted to show you the faux board and batten I put up. It is not a new idea but thought it would look fabulous in my foyer. I have a very dark foyer with hardwood floors in some need of refinishing. I originally had chair rail I installed a few months back and had painted the bottom a red and the top a tan gold that I love (Valspar paint). The dark red even though it was only on the bottom half of the chair rail was too dark for the room and did not blend well with the black interior front door (painted a few doors black a few months ago). So for $75 dollars I did a mini makeover of my foyer and absolutely love it! It completely brightened up the space and was very, very easy. The hardest part was caulking & painting. Here is how I did it but first let me show you the before and then a few after pictures. 

This was before I painted the door black.  I love the interior door black but did not go well with the walls. Here is another picture of the red with the black door. 

So you can see it did not look that great. Something was not flowing well so I decided that black and white would blend a lot better and to introduce faux board and batten. I did not want to remove the chair rail that I had put up a few months ago so I decided to simply add lattice strips 12 inches apart and paint it all bright white. I was off to home depot...

I calculated I would need 27 lattice strips at 33 inches height. The cost was 97 cents a foot for the lattice. I did opt for the primed lattice strips to make it easier for me to paint. I cut all my lattice strips into 64 inch pieces and then cut them into 33 inches at home. I did have a little waste but I was okay with that. I then cut my strips and begun to place them using a level to make sure they are straight and held them on with blue painters tape.

My little Pomeranian, Boo Boo was supervising me measure the whole time (see him in the picture lol)

You can see that I did prime one wall prior to putting up the lattice strips but then decided I didn't want to wait until the primer dried so I went ahead and put up the rest of the strips then primed. I let dry and then about 2 -3 hours later I went ahead and caulked any holes or gaps and nail holes and then let dry overnight. I then awoke the next day and sanded and painted 3 coats of gloss white Rustoleum paint. I think it looks fabulous!

You might have noticed the white table in the foyer got a face lift as well. I sanded, primed and spray painted it with Rustoleum Dark Walnut. I added a new rug by the door (still want to get a much larger foyer rug) and re-arranged some pictures on the wall to make the walls more pleasing. I want to add some color pieces to the foyer as well soon. I am thinking of adding some red accent pieces. I also want to redo (paint of course!) the planter pot. 

The white faux board and batten matches well with the black door and really makes the area seem larger and brighter so I am very pleased. I already had the Rustoleum gloss white (my husband jokes I have more paint than a painter), and the primer. So my total cost was for the lattice strips which cost $75 dollars. 

Well, what do you think?

Here is one more before and after picture.... 

Stay tuned for me to reveal the full foyer makeover which will include, refinishing the hardwood floors, stairs and banister (DIY), a larger new rug (still searching for the perfect one!), paint the other two doors in the foyer black (I have painted the exterior doors black on both sides but have not painted the coat closet and half bath door that are shown in these pictures in my foyer) and add some more decor to the foyer...

Top 10 Home Decor Accessories a home should have handy

Hello! Today I am going to share my thoughts on the top 10 home decor accessories you should always have handy for your home. These items come in a variety of shapes and sizes but can be used in so many ways in decorating your home. 

1)   Candlesticks - Not just used for candles anymore, decorate with holiday décor or use in any room!

2)   Vases - whether for fresh flowers or filled with candy or decoration these are versatile item that everyone should have

3)   Candles - Candles can be used as standalone decorating piece, combined with other items, used in vases and on candlesticks, and are great mood setters for any well designed home

4)   Fresh Flowers/Greenery - Bringing the outdoors in, not only can make a house look beautiful but can make it feel more like a home and can provide a light scent to the home

5)   Books - Not only used for entertainment but can be used as a decor accessory on tables & bookshelves and in addition can be used to stack other decor items like candlesticks

6)   Lamps/Lighting - Even if you have recessed lighting in a home a well-placed lamp or alternate lighting not only can bring high style to a home but add to the lighting and feel of a home

7)   Fabric - I say this universally because it relates to all areas of a home from Pillows, Rugs, curtains, table runners, decorative art, throws and napkins. Fabric brings softness to a home. Pay attention to areas needing fabric added whether it is a simple throw pillow to something larger like a rug. Incorporate fabric in any great style. 

8)   Picture Frames - Whether you use them to display your family favorite portraits, art or simply to use for awesome crafts like chalkboards and framing mirrors. 

9)   Baskets - Wire, Plastic, Wicker.. have them handy to add style to any room. Whether used on shelves, or next to couches or even smaller ones used for organizing. Baskets are universal decorative items that can be used in many ways. 

10) Mirrors – Mirrors bounce light and can make small spaces seem larger. Do not underestimate the power of a mirror in a home. 

If you don’t have these items in your home, invest now! Do not pass up items in these categories that spark your interest, you will be surprised how these pieces can be used over and over, even if you change your décor.

Realtor Tip: These items are great for staging a home and making a home more welcoming. Put a mirror in a small hallway, put candles and candlesticks on tables and counters, clear tables and put a vase with fresh flowers, bring in some fabric with table runners and napkins to stage a dinner table. Use fabric to hide bold color choices in furniture or tone it down. Use baskets to hide things, de-clutter and fill space. Turn on all lights and make sure all rooms are well lit with lamps. Use books on tables to make home feel lived and for layering. Replace picture frames with decorative fabric or art printouts instead of personal pictures.

Candy Corn and Glam Fall Mantel

For those of you that have viewed my blog and my house pictures are probably thinking, where is the style? That is the point though.  My house is SERIOUSLY lacking any style. We downsized when we moved here and most of our furniture styles (hubby and me) never have matched so it has been a long time coming for me to break out and give our home some style and you get to witness it with me. :)

So, today I finally decorated my mantel for FALL. Of course there always has to be something with glitter on it! (love glitter). Most of the stuff I re-purposed from other places in the home but a few things are new like the sparkly pumpkins that I found at Michael's and Dollar Store!

The glass vase is not new, but I did empty it, clean it, and add the ultimate thing that screams fall... CANDY CORN! (Let's see if I can keep my husband from eating all of it). Next I took the mirror off the wall and leaned on the mantel to make it work better and layered with the J picture (Letter corresponding to our last name) I got a few years ago that was hanging in my hall. I then added a lot of dry sticks (some left over from my wreath) into an existing flower arrangement. I also added some pine cones from my yard which I also luvv to use in decorations this time of year.. one to the mantel and the other I hung from the candy corn vase with some crafting twine (It still needed something even with the candy corn inside). The candlesticks I had in a box and hadn't used and simply pulled them out to add some shine and added my SPARKLY new pumpkins to them. The branch which really is my favorite, is from one of my floor vases in my home. I love this branch and it screams fall, so I removed it and added behind the J and mirror to add interest and hung another SPARKLY leaf I found at the dollar store! Last but not least the candle on the mantel is actually from the sconces that were on the wall next to my mantel. I took them down and used the glass insert and candle by adding it on the mantel (way to use what you have to decorate...)

All and all I spent hardly any money... 4 bags of candy corn (99 cents each bag at dollar store and 2 pumpkins were from the dollar store which were a dollar each and the glitter leaf was a dollar as well.. and then the two larger pumpkins on the candlesticks were from Michael's and they were 40% off all fall decorations so got them both together for under $10.

Well... what do you think?

It is a huge improvement from the previous mantel which is boring and lacked any style. This will stay until after Thanksgiving then I will decorate the mantel for Christmas... (don't worry there will be just as much if not MORE sparkles to that one too)

Hope you enjoyed my mantel makeover ... (Oh.. and I cant keep my hands out of the Candy Corn!)

DIY Fall Wreath Under $15

Fall is here officially and time to create my wreath.

I don't know about you but I can never find wreaths that are just right for what I want and I also wont pay a lot for a wreath. This year the wreaths in my local stores seem to have NO personality to them so time to create my own. I always do my own Christmas wreaths but this year, I am inspired by fall and want to create my own... on a budget of course.

I first went to my local Michael's store and found they were having a fabulous 50% to 60% off fall décor!! I picked up a wreath (I just adore the wood twine wreaths pre-made) and picked a selection of fall bushes pieces and some fall twine I liked.. with gems! I love all things shiny..

The total cost was under $15 dollars. I don't buy the small pieces, I find bushes that have different types mixed in and pull it apart... definitely saves you money!

To do your own wreath you really do not need much supplies:

Wire cutters
craft twine
hot glue gun

Here are my decorative supplies I bought:

Twine wreath (love these - great alone or decorated in a home) SALE $3.95
2 bushes of fall colors (oranges and wheat colors) Cost: (1/2 off) final cost $6
1 flower piece Cost: (1/2 off) final cost $1
1 large holiday decor twine with gems and shiny beads: Cost (1/2 off) final cost $3.99
Total Cost for all decorations: $14.94

You really do not need a lot of decoration for the wreath if you buy bushy pieces as you see here in back, that bush made a ton of separate pieces after cutting with wire cutter to spread around my wreath.

I pulled the bushes apart and now have ton of decoration now

The small pine cones I had from a Christmas wreath I did, but if I didn't have them still I would have went out and collected some in my backyard. I love PINE CONES.. they look great this time of year for all decorations, especially mixed in glass vases with pops of color like red berries, tinsel or decorated with glitter!! (this girl loves all things sparkly and shiny)

I then simply intertwined the pieces into the twine wreath and used my hot glue gun for those stubborn pieces. Here is the transformation from the first step.

I was almost tempted to stop here and buy a ton more of this shiny bead twine. Maybe will do a similar one for my garage door using just beads!

 Adding wheat pieces to the sides allowing it to spray out to create dramatic effect.

 Adding the flower pieces in bright orange and reds

Then adding the fuller pieces and the pine cones using hot glue gun.

I luvvv the final product! Everyone has their own style and I can never find a wreath I like, so making one to fit my style is the perfect solution.

Here is the final product on my door, but don't mind the UGLY door.. next project is to redo that door!

Get inspired and create your own wreath!

Thanks for viewing my post...

-Crafty Realtor