I am SO excited to finally be able to share with you the progress that I have made with turning my ideas of my emerald, navy and gold living room into reality! I know I talked about this quite some time ago, but I decided to take my time, go with what I loved, and slowly incorporate beautiful elements into my living room.

The best thing is that it didn’t really take much. I had all the basic elements of the living room (furniture, lamps, tables); then I added pops of colors in pillow covers, blankets, and an area rug, and I had the makings of a color themed room.

It started with this striped white and navy rug from RugsUSA (where I basically buy all my rugs thanks to their killer sales). I always love the classic look of stripes and thought that a rug was the best place to go classic. I have the hardest time actually pulling the trigger on buying a rug (geesh indecision) but this one was an easy choice. I’ve actually had it for months and love it! Word of caution though, it’s a shedder. But hey, that just makes me vacuum more, right?!

Then I moved on to what I had: a multi-colored blanket that I crocheted in middle school! I draped it over the back of the couch and immediately loved it for two reasons.

1: It blends effortlessly into my color scheme.

2: It hides the saggy, attached back couch cushions that are one of the main reasons I haven’t liked this couch for a while. Thankfully, with it covering up those cushions I am liking the couch a TON more. Now I pay attention to the color pops on it and the classic nail head trim and stop hating on the saggy, baggy cushions.

I’m sure you also noticed my new couch pillows! They are the Ikea feather inserts and four pillow covers from H&M that I adore (floral cover, printed green leaf cover, navy velvet cover I meant to buy but was out of stock so I got the canvas one that’s not available anymore, blue dot cover not available anymore). I also adore that I purchased these. I love a good ole pillow DIY but it is sometimes so nice to buy something for probably cheaper than I could make it and put no work into making them. That was totally my jam this time.

Swinging on over to the accent chairs, I finally splurged on some pillows and pillow covers that I had literally been stalking for 6 months.

I fell in love with these pillow covers on Etsy and knew they would be the crowning piece for my living room. However, they were a little pricey for me for two pillow covers so I hemmed, hawed, and waited way too long. I finally purchased them and now gaze adoringly at them every day. They are everything I want my color scheme to be. Sometimes a girl just has to splurge.

All these items tie nicely into my current furniture, lamps, and accessories and newly made “Eat Well Travel Often” sign. My living space is definitely coming together and it makes me so happy!

I think my next venture is making some holes in the wall and actually hanging pictures to make it feel even more me and finished.

Leave a Note
  • Paula@SweetPea

    Your living room looks terrific! I am loving your color scheme and how you’ve incorporated those color into decorating with the pieces you already have. That rug is amazing – love the pattern. I know you love coming home to a cozy place that is decorated 100% in your style.ReplyCancel

    • Megan

      Thank you Paula! It is definitely nice to just be able to make a few small changes that make a big impact. I am also so happy with the rug too!! It took me a long time to pull the trigger and buy it but I’m so glad I did!ReplyCancel

Hello and happy Tuesday everyone! Are flowers bursting into bloom all around you where you are? They definitely are here! I am so excited to have finally spotted my lily blooming out on the porch. I wait all year for the wonderful week that I get to see the beautiful orange blossoms.

However, you may also know that I love to have fresh flowers blooming inside the house as much as possible too. I even showed you how I decked out my house with flowers in every single room for spring.

Today I wanted to share with you 22 flower arrangements that I put together over on my Hometalk boards. Make sure to pop on over to read more about them!

Since there are so many beautiful options and tutorials I wanted to pull out a few of my favorites!

This tutorial used $25 worth of flowers from Fresh Market to make simple and elegant arrangements.

Flowers and a vintage bike! That’s a major yes for me! This would be beautiful for the right wedding.

Can this please be my kitchen table? Holy blooms! I think I would just feast on blooms and not even need food there!

I love the art of creating a floral arrangement in an elegant vessel like this. Timeless!

Learn how to prolong flowers through this great (and beautiful) tutorial!

Learn how to create beautiful arrangements with flowers from your yard!

The five minute floral arrangement? I think we’ve all got time for that!

How neat is this branch vase with the vessels? So unique!

I thought I would send you out with a shot from my spring flower tour! This light and bright spot in my apartment may be my favorite.

Make sure to check out all 22 flower arrangement ideas on Hometalk!

PS – I held an online Jamberry party (beautiful nail wraps that last 2-4 weeks and that I LOVE). The party is still open for orders if you’re interested! It will close in about a day so if you want to try them out make sure to jump on it now!

Leave a Note
  • Paula@SweetPea

    Gorgeous arrangements! I love flowers and need to be better about taking time to clip some to enjoy indoors. You found so many pretty arrangements that I honestly can’t pick a favorite.ReplyCancel

    • Megan

      I bet you can find all sorts of beautiful flowers to clip from outside your house, Paula! Your yard is so gorgeous! That would be a fun blog post for you – flower arrangements you made from your yard!ReplyCancel

Sometimes life just gets downright hard. Sometimes you just have to make difficult decisions and trust with all your heart and soul that you are making the right one.

When life gets that way and you are thrown into making decisions you never thought you were going to, you don’t want anything holding you back. You don’t want any physical or emotional baggage.

Source

For my situation, moving from a larger home to a smaller apartment, it was time to lessen the physical baggage I had – including beautiful hand-me-downs from family.

Baggage may be extreme since everything I had given to me was beautiful, wonderful, and from such a loving place. Some of the other stuff truly was baggage: stuff I thought was too good a deal to pass up, space fillers, super trendy things that had already passed their prime, etc.

When I first moved in. Look at all that stuff!

 

I felt burdened by the amount of stuff I had and literally felt like I just wanted to throw it all out of the window and just walk away and start over. However, that is incredibly selfish, stupid, dangerous, and not very eco-friendly.

So I started with the stuff that I had collected on my own. I got (and continue to get) rid of everything that doesn’t make me so, so happy. I’m only keeping things that when I unpacked it I had to display immediately because I loved it so much. Things that add beauty and character to my life.

Source

That has been a little easier. With an apartment AND storage unit, I am still feeling like I have too much stuff so I am avidly working through those boxes, purging with all of my might.

However, the harder choices come when you get to items that have a very distinctive memory or items that your mom, dad, sister, grandparents gave you. It is a physical reminder of their love and sometimes has a very specific memory attached to it.

Those are the hardest items to get rid of.

Source

Getting rid of those makes me feel selfish – like I didn’t appreciate their gift. It makes me feel sad – that I’m not appreciating them fully. It makes me feel lost – like I will never have those memories if I get rid of  that item.

But here’s the thing I’ve come to realize: these memories live within me, not within a piece of furniture. These items played an important role in my life when they were given to me. We naturally evolve and grow out of things. The people we love and who gave us these things know that. But their love is still there. The memories that we made with them are still real and very much alive. Memories don’t live in things.

Source

Plus, a lot of times people completely forget they even gave you those things in the first place. Things you are agonizing over may seem so silly to them. They wanted to help you then. If it doesn’t help you now, why would you hang on to it? They love you more than that thing. If they don’t, it’s time for some therapy I think. Or for them to just take it back.

If it is a family heirloom, it probably warrants a conversation to see if someone else in your family wants it. Or if you think it was really special to them, ask them if they mind you getting rid of it.

Take a picture of something before you get rid of it if it really is a memory tied to a piece you don’t want to forget. That picture can trigger that memory just as much as seeing that item every single day. See, there are work arounds.

Source

But I think the most important part to remember is that the item was given with love – with the thought that they wanted to add something to your life. So if it isn’t adding anything to your life anymore, it’s time to get rid of it. They understand. Once you divide the emotion from the item, it just becomes a love seat or table that you can sell or give away to a home that will love and cherish it.

It really is just about passing on the love. You can keep all the love and memories behind an item and then pass it on to be loved by someone else.

It’s time to keep the love and get rid of the things. It’s time to move forward and not let anyone or anything hold us back.

Source

So look at the things (or people) around you. Are you being held back? If so, it’s time to move forward and let go. There may be some discussions or indecision, but ultimately you will feel so much freer when the time comes to keep the love that was there and rid yourself of all the things holding you back from your utmost happiness and freedom.

Leave a Note
  • cassie @ primitive & proper

    such a great post- i always remind myself it’s all just stuff and you can’t take it with you, but you can keep the memories for as long as you are here. 🙂ReplyCancel

    • Megan

      Thank you so much Cassie! It can be so hard to see past the stuff though. It’s a constant battle for sure!ReplyCancel

  • Paula@SweetPea

    It is just “stuff” and “stuff” can be replaced. I’m glad that my grandmother and mom didn’t get rid of their stuff because I like using it. Make sure you don’t get rid of something you might regret not keeping!ReplyCancel

    • Megan

      That is so true! You have many wonderful things from your mom and grandmother!ReplyCancel

In case you haven’t noticed Stitch Fix is my new thing. I’m so loving this stylist service delivered straight to your door! Plus, I’m loving adding more fashion posts to the ole blog. I hope you do too!

This month I got so many fun pieces! However, I thought I wasn’t going to like any of them (did you know you can “cheat” and when you get the email that says your Stitch Fix has shipped? You can go to your Stitch Fix page and click on the checkout survey to see the names of the items sent. Then you just Google your heart out!) and then I got pleasantly surprised when they arrived. I sure do like being pushed in my fashion a little bit!

Stitch Fix is a personal stylist company that hand picks 5 items based on your style and size. You get assigned your own stylist, and she gets to know your style based on your Pinterest fashion board, style profile you fill out online, and feedback you leave on your previous fixes. In turn she hand picks out pieces she think will make you look – and feel – great and sends them to you along with styling advice and a personal note. Love that part so much!

You can sign up for monthly fixes or just schedule them whenever you’re feeling in the mood. You also fill out a note your stylist reads before putting together your fix. This note is where you can request certain types of clothing you may be needing. Once you get your five pieces you have three days to try on the pieces at home and then you send back whatever you don’t want to keep in a prepaid envelope.

For this month’s fix I didn’t have too many requests. I asked for fun, bright, and perhaps sparkly pieces for spring/summer. I also requested a maxi dress if they had something to accommodate my height.

Here is what my stylist put together for me:

Market & Spruce Sam Hi-Lo Short Sleeve Tee

When I saw that I was sent a plain t-shirt, I was sort of displeased. I didn’t sign up for this service for a t-shirt. Then I pulled out the prettiest, softest, most flattering hi-low tee that I now want in every color. I will wear this out. I think the color is gorgeous, and I always love a little extra coverage in the back.

This month I tried to style each outfit in both ways suggested on the styling card.

This is the summer casual look with distressed jean shorts:

This is the edgier look with black jeans:

Pixley Montgomery Chevron Cross-Front Top

When I pulled this top out I was slightly disappointed. I specifically ask for no chevron patterns. However, the fit and color made up for that, and I ended up really liking it. I think my closet definitely has enough chevron in it now!

Here is it is in the casual look with my black jeans:

Here is the more business look. I like that they suggested dressing it up more. I might not have done that initially. It seemed to be more causal but I really liked it dressed up a bit.

Gilli Vail Striped Maxi Skirt

I asked for a maxi dress but they didn’t have anything that fit my height at this time. Instead she sent me a maxi skirt. The length was good and the bright colors were fun. I just wasn’t 100% into the stripes on the bottom. However, I asked a couple of friends if they were interested in buying it and one was! I was so happy to pass on the Stitch Fix love!

Liverpool Raphael Denim Jacket

I asked for a jean jacket in my last fix, and I got one that was too dark for my liking. However, this one is perfect!! I love the coloring and it fits like a glove. Plus it has a beautiful amount of stretch that makes it so comfy.

I added it to the skirt outfit and thought it made the outfit. Layers really are an outfit’s best friend.

Romolo Eldridge Geo Cutout Necklace

You might notice that I’m wearing this necklace in a couple of my pictures above. This necklace is the best. I love it sooo much! It is gold (love), geometric (love), and can also go with so many things (love)! I’ve pretty much worn it every day since I got it.

So what did I keep? Everything!! Yup! My first keeping everything box! Hello 25% discount! I only kept everything because my friend bought the skirt. I was definitely going to keep the green high-lo tee, the jean jacket, and the necklace but they cost about as much as all five items with the discount. However, I didn’t want to keep items in my closet that I don’t love 100% (my whole purpose of this is to craft a closet of really nice items that I love) so I asked around and was able to sell the skirt. It was definitely a box that gave to me and her!

Interested in signing up for Stitch Fix? I would love if you would sign-up using my referral link.

Want to see more? Check out my other reviews!

My February 2015 Stitch Fix Review

My March 2015 Stitch Fix Review

My April 2015 Stitch Fix Review

Leave a Note
  • Paula@SweetPea

    I love seeing what you get each month in your box. The necklace is great and can go with so many different outfits, both casual and business. The chevron top looks great with your black skirt. You could even wear it during the winter with a black jacket over it. The maxi skirt has a fun pattern and I think the colors look great on you. It’s great that your friend wanted to buy it so that you could get the 25% discount for purchasing all five things. I’m wearing the dress I got last week today!ReplyCancel

    • Megan

      I’m so glad that you kept the two dresses! They looked great! I loved all your outfit suggestions too! Good suggestion about the jacket with the chevron top. I’m definitely going to try that!ReplyCancel

  • Rachel

    My mom got me a maxi dress for my birthday from Loft. They have a tall line and it was perfect. It just hits the floor when I have no shoes on, and I’m an inch or two taller than you are. You might check out their selection and see if you like anything.ReplyCancel

    • Megan

      Ooo Thank you Rachel! I will definitely check that out! If it fits you it will definitely fit me!!ReplyCancel

      • Rachel

        And if you don’t shop there often, I’ll tell you that you should not pay full price for anything. They have 40%off sales all the time, and I think they might even be having a 60% off sale right now.ReplyCancel

        • Megan

          Oh awesome!! I need to go check that out immediately then! Haha. Thank you!ReplyCancel

Happy giveaway Friday everyone!!

In honor of warm temperatures, longer daylight, and the pure happiness of spring, the American Odyssey Relay 2015 Bloggin’ and Joggin’ team has put together a superb giveaway for you!

The giveaway includes a relay starter kit:

  •  Safety yellow running vest
  • Safety running lights (including a lighted arm band)
  • Safety amber light
  • Health Warrior chia bars (I’m kind of obsessed with these)
  • Milestone Pod that fits on your shoe to track your miles
  • Muscle cream
  • First aid kit
  • Generic Pepto-Bismol
  • Vaseline
  • Car window markers

Oh, did I mention you also get $200 in CASH?!

Now that’s worth entering even if you aren’t a runner!

The giveaway is open May 12 through  Friday, May 22 at 12am.

This giveaway is only open to residents in the 48 contiguous US states.

Enter using the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

« Older posts Newer posts »