Fall Touches On a Budget

With the exception of Christmas, Fall will forever be my favorite time of year. I don't think there is anything more beautiful than big full trees with leaves that are bright yellow, red, and orange. 

I grew up in Pennsylvania, so I was never wanting or lacking beautiful foliage. It's one of the perks of growing up in a rural area. Even the smells of Fall make me happy as does the ability to wear big sweaters and comfy boots all season long. 

But what also really makes me happy is when I can come home from a long day at work and unwind in my apartment while being surrounded by fall aromas and bright fall colors. However, achieving that can cost a pretty penny and at my age, when student loans and rent are my main financial priority, I can't be spending hundreds on beautiful decorations. Instead I have to get creative -- which I love!

This year I spent just about $103 on fall decorations and fall candles. It was a little high because I am a stickler for candlers and will only buy Bath and Body Works candles. (I blame that on my 4 year stint of working there.)

Back to the money and being frugal. Yes I spent just about $100, BUT, I got a huge orange decorative vase, a fall garland, supplies to make a fall banner, 3 mason jars, 2 large 3 wick candles, 2 candle holders, a small ceramic pumpkin candy jar, a medium-sized glass pumpkin, a Fall word canvas, and 5 different miniature small fall decor pieces.

Let's start with this photo. this is my living room. The focal point is obvious, it's the fireplace. Since it's the natural focal point, I decided to spend most of my money and time on fall decor for the fireplace. As you can see, it's bright and very fall like. For a more in depth discussion on this you can visit my blog post, Let the Fall DIY Decorating Begin!: Fall DIY Banner. As my earlier blog post explains, I made the "FALL" banner that hangs on the fire place. The rest of the decor is frugal finds that I mixed and matched to get the desired look I personally wanted. I also used mason jars on my coffee table to help tie in the fall theme. The medium sized mason jar has the same pauperie that is in the large jar on the mantle and the smallest mason jar is holding a small fall tea light candle. It's all about the small, simple details -- they really make a difference and bring a room together.

This next photo is a small display on my bookcase next to my fireplace. It includes 2 fall candles and 2 fall candle holders from Bath and Body Works as well as the medium-sized glass pumpkin that I mentioned before. It's a simple staging. And it also expands the fall theme throughout my living room. I also use it to hide my cable box that is peeking through in this photo. 

This final photo is of my dining room table. The orange plaid runner is actually a hand towel that was part of a set of 3 that my fiance's mom gave us. That was my inspiration for the center piece. The above center piece is actually 3 different pieces. The two sparkly, orange leaves on either side are something I added to give it more texture and of course bling! Each leaf was $1.19! And the main piece with the red sunflower, pine cone, and berries cost me $4.29! Add it all up and you have a pretty fall center piece for about $6.50. You can't beat that! And as I am sure you have noticed, I prefer simpler styles for my own home so it was the perfect combination and fix for my table.

I enjoy purchasing home decor and I enjoy following the trends of decorating but that doesn't mean that to do you, you or I have to break our budgets or spend hundreds of dollars. I spent $100 and I was able to thoroughly decorate my living room, decorate my dining room table, and even add some small fall accents in my kitchen. The key is to be patient and be CREATIVE. Sometimes things that are cheap and sold individually can actually look gorgeous and expensive when mixed together. 

If you have any frugal fall decorating tips I would love to hear them! Feel free to share below or send me an email. If you want your fall decorating tips to be featured  please send me an email with your tips and tricks and a photo or two of them on display. 

BIG NEWS TO SHARE!

If you've visited Houses to Homes before  you may notice that we now have this nice orange circle added to our home page. That's because we just recently were acknowledged for being one of the Best of 2015 for home services in Alexandria, VA! 

For most of you bloggers out there, I am sure you are laughing at this "award" and I am perfectly okay with that. But this is a big milestone for K&B Houses to Homes even if it is a small award. We only started in July and I will openly admit that we started this business without really knowing what we were doing. 

We read a lot of articles and did a lot of research and tried to prepare but how do you truly prepare to start a business that you've never ran before or better yet how to do you start any business when you have never started any kind of business in your whole life?!

Well I still don't quite have the answers to those questions. All that I can say is, take a deep breathe and take the leap. My fiance and I are still working our full time jobs and things have certainly slowed down for the business now that it's fall and our jobs have gotten crazy. But we at least have started! And that's the hardest part. 

I hope that this award is the first of many to come. I know this blog is still in it's early stages and all of you pro-bloggers see me as a dreamer. But I do truly hope to one day use this blog and my business as a full time job. I would love to help people make their houses, apartments, studios, or what have you into beautiful places that they can call home.

Here's to the future. And here's to hoping that the slow and steady turtle will eventually win this race! 

Thank you to all of you who have been reading Houses to Homes and who have hired us! We look forward to working with many more of you in the future! 

Let the Fall DIY Decorating Begin!: Fall Banner DIY

Now that the Labor Day festivities have finished and we’ve officially settled into September. It’s time to think about FALL! At least for me it is. Fall is my favorite season. I love the bright colors, the crisp air, and warm bonfires. It’s such a cozy and beautiful time of year. 

I live in Virginia, which means that even though it's September it's still about 90 degrees during the day. But I am originally from PA where fall really did begin in September. I can remember going pumpkin picking in sweaters by mid-September when I was younger but that's no longer the case here in VA. 

Regardless of the temperature, in my world once we pass Labor Day it's time to break out the fall decorations and begin making fall festival plans! This year I finally have a mantle to decorate so I spent this weekend getting the decorations ready. 

The fireplace banner has become popular the last year or so and while you can buy gorgeous pre-made ones in the store, they are usually pricey and I get more satisfaction out of decorations that I can make myself or add my personal touch to. 

So here is how you can make your very own fall fireplace banner.

First you will need to gather your supplies. You will need:

• Burlap (I bought fall themed burlap at Michaels -- it was about $5 for 9 feet)
• Scissors
• Twine
• Stapler or craft glue (I prefer a stapler)
• Measuring Tape
• Fabric Marker or decorative paint

Next you will have to measure your fireplace and mantel and decide how many space you want your banner to take up. Once you have done that you then can decide on the size of your squares or rectangles.

I created rectangles because of the look I wanted. They are 6 inches high and 5 inches wide. I then proceeded to cut 4 rectangles that were the exact same size.

Once your squares or rectangles are cut, you want to lay them out flat on the counter. You want to measure out the length of your twine. I used about 3.5 feet of twine. I planned to have 2 inches of space in between my rectangles when  they were hanging. But the distance is completely up to you -- use your own digression. Now that you've gotten your twine ready, you want to grab your craft glue or stapler. 

You want to flip your burlap over so that the side you want facing out is facing down on the counter. My burlap has pumpkins and gourds printed on it but you can use any kind, including plain burlap. Once your squares or rectangles are flipped over you want to either glue or staple the flap down. If you're using glue you want to be careful to only put it at the bottom of the flap so that you can still thread your twine through the flap. If you're using a stapler then you can just thread the twine through or put the twine under the flap before stapling because it will still be able to slide through for space adjustments. Once all of your pieces have their flaps glued or stapled down it's time to thread the twine through if you haven't already. Don't worry about the length on either end of the banner, you can adjust that and cut off any extra after you hang it.

Now that your banner is assembled it's time to add your letters. I spelled out Fall but you could spell our autumn or leaves or whatever you may like, just make sure each letter has it's own square, I used a fabric marker that I got from Rite Aid to create my letters. I liked how thick it was and I had more control over it than a paint brush. But if you have a steadier hand than me go ahead and use the paint! I went over my letters a few times with the marker to get it as dark as I wanted. Burlap isn't easy to color on! Once your letters are on your squares let it dry a few minutes. Then you are ready to hang it!

Above is my mantle with my fall banner. I also used a leaf and acorn fall garland that I found for $10 at a local fabric store. The rest of my mantel is from Home Goods. I simply took a large clear jar and put fall pauperie in it. I placed a ceramic jar by it. And on the other side is an orange vase I also found at Home Goods with decorative sticks in, I use those sticks with my normal blue vases but they also fit this decor so I used them for my fall mantel as well. Feel free to mix and match your fall banner with any and all of your mantel decorations.

And as always ENJOY! :)

Curtains: Often overlooked and often wrongly hung

Today we’re going to talk about curtains. You know the fabric that covers your windows to keep the sun out or to add some color and flair to a room. What I am sure many of you don’t know is the proper way to hang them.

 

Curtains are easily over looked because they are a basic decor item but they also tend to be added as an afterthought. All of this is fine, however, many people don’t hang their curtains properly which then gives their living rooms, dining rooms, and a bedrooms a less than polished look.

My dad works in the textile industry—specifically in window treatments. Therefore, I pick out the wrong curtains or hang them poorly, I am sure to be ridiculed by him. But really the rules for window treatments and curtains are simple.

It’s the 1 inch up and 1 inch over rule.

When hanging curtain rods before putting up your sconces or your rod holders you want to measure—measure one inch to the left of the window and one inch to the right of the window then make a teeny tiny pencil mark. Next you want to go to both marks you just made and measure one inch up for both of them and put another teeny tiny pencil mark. You now can erase your first pencil marks because you no longer need them.

Once you follow the one inch up and one inch over rule, you can secure your sconces or rod holders and then begin to hang your curtains. The length of your curtains will vary depending on your personal style and room. But there are a few rules that hold true no matter what your style is. Below there is a picture for the dos of curtains and the don’ts. And just like everything else, there are rules or guidelines rather on how to hang your curtains and what they should loosely look like.

This is an absolute no.

This however, is a yes. It's simply and pretty. Perfectly hung and perfect length.

The first is that there are such things are too long curtains. If you want floor length curtains that is perfectly, but when measuring for length be sure that the bottom of the curtains just barely kiss the floor.  Do NOT let your curtains ball up on the floor. It’s not as attractive looking as you may think, it’s also again the window treatment world.

Since we just too long, there are also too short curtains also. Your curtains should just kiss your window sill, they should not be 2 inches higher or lower. This is also something that you may think looks okay to have a few extra or less inches, but it doesn’t. The only time you want to have shorter “curtains” is if you are doing a window scarf over your base curtains.

The length rules only apply to your base or background curtains. If you are going to use some decorative scarfs over top then you have much more leeway in length but for your simple, basic curtain length is important—too long or too short will wreck the whole flow of your room, which is not something that any one wants.

And there you have it! Now you can hang curtains correctly and also rather quickly. Remember one inch up and one inch over and you’ll be golden!

  

Budget, Budget, Budget...And Then Budget Some More

Budget: A 6 letter word that so many of us cringe at. But your budget should be of utmost importance whether you are buying a house or decorating your home, or even buying a car or groceries. Your budget is what will keeps you grounded and it's what keeps you out of debt.

Living on a budget has a lot of negative connotations, so many people think living on a budget means poverty or a life of the mundane basics. But that's simply not true. You can live on a budget and still enjoy your life and even splurge every once in awhile. 

I have been living on a strict budget for the last 2 years (and when I lived at home, my parents always had a budget). And it has already paid off dramatically. My fiance and I went from living in a 500 square foot studio to a 1025 square foot 2 bedroom apartment in just 14 months time. Neither of us make a ton of money, his current full time job is teaching and my current full time job is an entry level PR position. We don't make bad money but we certainly don't make a lot. But even with our meager funds we have been able to upgrade our apartment and lifestyle without breaking the bank-- All because we live on a budget.

How is this relevant to turning your house into a home?

Well if you don't have a budget in mind, it's very easy to spend more money than you can afford resulting in 2 horrible outcomes, you either go into debt or you stop projects that are only partially complete. Neither outcome is desirable. And both can be avoided if you work on a budget.

My fiance and I are working with a woman who had no budget in mind. None whatsoever. We came up with some designs giving her a range in pricing since we were unsure of what she could truly afford. She constantly choose the more expensive designs and furniture. But still had no budget in mind no matter how much we pressed her for one.

Besides updating the inside of her home, she also wanted us to tackle the outside of her home. My fiance willing complied because he loves landscaping. Before long we had a laundry list of things to do in addition to your initial contract. Again, no problem -- we were excited to turn her backyard into a beautiful retreat. 

But not long after work on the outside began, she suddenly realized that she could not afford all of the work she wanted done on the inside and outside of her home. And she began to panic. 

Exhibit A of one of the bad outcomes...stopping before projects are complete due to failed budgeting.

In order to help alleviate this, we had to sit her down and have her prioritize what was a necessity and what was a want. Sometimes you can't have everything on your list; at least not all at one time. Unfortunately, money does not grow on trees so there are limitations.

Again, this is why having a budget is so important for any and all home projects no matter how big or how small the projects may be.(I once budgeted $15 for a personal project of mine, and ended up coming in at $10. I was ecstatic; big or small a budget is vital.)

Luckily, we were able to wrap up a couple of the projects to the point where they no longer appeared to be in mid-completion without making any big dent in her budget. We also had a planning session with her for what she wants in the future so that she has designs and layouts to refer to. We have turned from doers to consultants for this client. But at the end of the day it has helped save her budget and has helped her better prioritize her necessary projects. It also has allowed her to still be able to get some small projects done on her house. 

And this is what we are all about...helping people turn their houses into homes. We want everyone to love their, whether you rent or own your place, you should love coming home to it and be happy to show it off.

Budgeting is OKAY, I promise.

Everyone's budget is different. And that's OKAY. I am a firm believer of setting a budget and sticking to it. It can be difficult at times, but with a little patience and hard work you can achieve just about anything you want for your home on a budget. You just can't be afraid to try something new or to get your hands dirty. 

I live frugally both by choice and by necessity. But I by no means feel cheated in life. I still am able to go out to dinner on occasion and take trips to the beach to visit my parents. And I still pay my rent, bills, and student loans. All the while making sure I am tucking money away to save up for a rainy day or more ideally for a home that I can personally own. 

So like I said, I know we all cringe at budgeting, but it truly is a lifesaver. I live by my budget and I live just fine. 

Stay tuned for some tips and trips on budgeting for home remodeling and daily life expenses. :)

Embrace the Accent Color, I Promise It's Okay

So many of us fear the accent color. For me, I was always worried that I'd pick the wrong color and it would clash or it would completely take over the room and then I'd be stuck with an obnoxious looking living room. But with time and many hours spent watching HGTV, I began to dip my toes in the accent color world.

Everyone's personal style is different, which is why accent colors are great. You can bring an accent color into any room, through glass vases, pillows, rugs, artwork, or even a statement wall or statement piece of furniture. There is no right or wrong way to incorporate color. Repeat it with me, there is no right or wrong way to incorporate color. This is something that many of us don't realize. And it's a misconception that we all need to throw away now.

If you're afraid of some color start small or start subtle. I took the subtle route.

My first place on my own (well with my fiance too) was a dated 500 square foot studio apartment. Thankfully I had a lot of closet space. But the amount of living space was cramped. Our bedroom, living room, and dining room were literally all the same room. This made things difficult not only from a design and decorating perspective but from a functionality perspective as well.

Thankfully, we had a wall that was diagonal instead of creating a box and we also had the slightest alcove in one section of the living space, both of  which kept our living space from being a complete rectangle. The diagonal wall in our living space is what made me experiment with an accent color for the first time.

Since our apartment was small, so were some of our walls, but we did have over 9 foot ceilings which also helped visually. Our decor was black and white. It was simple with some zebra print involved. (Zebra print is my favorite print, there is something simple yet elegant about it, which is also the same with black and white.)  But I was not about to leave my apartment with all white walls nor was I going to paint any walls black.

So instead we went for a softer gray. Not a drastic accent color but enough to make it different. With my mind made up we painted the diagonal wall gray, which ended up being the main wall of our apartment because my book shelves and TV sat against that wall. We would then end up painting the small wall behind our bed which was only about the length of a 1/3 of a normal wall in a living room or bedroom.

As it turns out, adding that accent color to both of those walls, was exactly what the apartment needed. It gave it character in a way that I didn't expect and it made it feel more homey. It even helped visually divide the spaces. We lived in that apartment for 14 months without venturing any farther out of my comfort zone of accent colors.

But recently we moved to a bigger  and more updated place. The walls in this apartment are painted cream and each room has crown molding and white blinds. I finally have separate rooms, but the kitchen, living room, and dining room are an open floor plan (which I love). But this made it difficult for me to decide on an accent color and how to incorporate it-- I knew I couldn't paint the walls without changing all of the wall colors, which was not something I was prepared to do.

I had to get out of my comfort zone even more and choose an accent color that could be incorporated through items and decor rather than walls.

This past weekend, I took the plunge. I found a vase at HomeGoods that I absolutely loved (despite the blue color which I usually shy away from). I was looking for something new to decorate my fireplace with-- the vase was the perfect size and style. So I bought it. I also bought a basket for my kitchen that incorporates that similar blue color.  And just like that I had taken the plunge into accent colors in a new way.

Baby steps are key with anything that puts you outside of your comfort zone.

I enjoy home decorating and designing but it's always harder to implement things into your own home. Just like they say a carpenter's house is never finished, an interior decorator's home is never complete either.

Never Underestimate some Paint and a little TLC

               

We've all heard the expression, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Some of us may have actually experienced this or some of us many not read into that expression. But when it comes to home decor, I think it's an expression that we should all live by.

A few weeks ago, Brian, my fiance, was taking out our garbage. When he went to drop it off, he noticed a couple of picture frames that had been tossed away. They weren't the prettiest looking but he thought they had cool features so he snatched them up and brought them home (original frame is the above image on the left). In the area where live, we often find pieces of furniture or home decor that people just throw away because they don't want to take the time to rehab them. (Personally I think they're crazy!)

When I saw the frames I immediately loved them. It was obvious they needed some TLC but the bones of the frames were good. Since our apartment heavily favors the gray and white scheme, I knew they would be perfect once they were cleaned up a bit. 

First I removed the glass from the frames and then I took a magic eraser to both of them. They both needed a good scrubbing between sitting in the garbage room and their appearance, they needed a little bath. Then we went to work on painting them. We chose a dark gray, which we often use to as our accent color or even our main color, instead of keeping the pink-ish orange color that was beginning to peel off. 

Painting the decorative piece took some time and patience but I think it paid off. The dark gray really accents the background of the frame and makes it pop. It also goes perfectly with our decor. The frame itself still has a slight rustic look, which I'm really into right now. 

I forgot to mention that the stickers were left on the frames and each frame was $30 a piece! I couldn't believe that someone would just throw them away instead of giving them a little TLC and making them their own. 

But one man's trash is another man's treasure.

This is something that more people need to think about when deciding to do home decor. It doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't always mean buying all new stuff. It's quite easy to make old things new with just a little imagination and time. One should never underestimate what a little new paint and a little TLC can do for their furniture or their home decor. It's always nice to buy something new, but it can be just as nice to reinvent what you have and to do it with your own hands is even more rewarding. 

So don't be afraid of a little crafting time. It's therapeutic and good for the soul. And even better for your wallet. :)

Here are the frames up on the wall. I still have to find some pictures to put in them, but they look brand new!

                           

What have "trash" have you turned into a treasure? Comment your with your master pieces below!