Home Decor 889: Decorating

Just so you know, I despise running. Of all the ways to get into shape, it's #1 on my list of 0% fun activities. If on the rare occassion I jump on a treadmill, I'm more likely to do something like this guy. (With much less coordination because let's face it, this former ballet dancer looks awkward "in da club".)

Nope, this runner is more my speed:

Ticking Stripe Foyer Runner Rug | Bless'er House

That pun just now was completely unintentional. Although, a runner that just lays on the ground is really my speed. ;)

Our foyer has been one of the spaces, like most of the rooms in our house, that has slowly been coming together on its own. I finally have a plan in my mind to finish it up, but it wasn't until I stumbled upon this mattress ticking runner from Dash and Albert that it really started to make sense.

(Nope, this isn't a sponsored post. I just really really am excited about this new addition.)

I was worried that since it was partly white, I would have issues with keeping it clean, but so far it's awesome! And I sprayed it with ScotchGuard to repel any dirt and grime and keep it lower maintenance.

I think our little foyer update has gotten Robert's wheels turning too because yesterday he looked in here and said, "I want a cool looking front door with a window. Want to get rid of that builder grade one?" Oh, that man knows me too well. A craftsman style front door is probably still a ways in the future, but it's good to know when he and I are on the same page.

Our entry table is still in desperate need of a paint job too. I mean there's shabby chic and then there's just plain ol' shabby. We got it for $50 on Craigslist last year, and I knew I would need to paint it. I just hadn't decided on a color until now.

(P.S. Just pretend you don't see the bits of debris under the table where I missed a spot with my broom...um...a month ago. Okay, you caught me. I haven't swept in here in a while. No judging.)

I'm thinking a light, blue-toned gray paint to go with the subtle blue stripes in the runner.

And I'm hoping this summer, we can add white shiplap on the wall behind the table so the gray I paint it will pop. Painting the interior of our plain, white door to add some interest would be nice too if the craftsman style doesn't appear to be in the future any time soon.

If we ever do upgrade our front door though, the HOA requires that we keep the exterior our current blue color. (Yep, #suburbanlifeprobs.) But I do like the blue, and it works perfectly with the rug stripes. Robert likes that the exterior of our house is Dallas Cowboys colors. This Carolina Panthers fan has to overlook it. Boo. Although, I'd much rather have Cowboy blue on our front door too.

I'm telling ya...if you give a decorator a runner, she'll have an entire room planned in an hour. The key is to actually make it happen! That's the hard part. There aren't enough toddler naps in the day to accommodate my plans sometimes. I'm still working on our breakfast area.

What do you think? Are you a fan of our new runner? And maybe more likely to play on a treadmill than to actually run on one?

Blessings,

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Happy Monday, friends! I am SO excited to share our weekend events with y'all! Our little one's 2nd birthday is technically today (how did time get away from us so quickly?!), but we celebrated with our wonderful family and friends Saturday, and it was a beautiful day.

I said in the very beginning of planning this that we weren't going to make it a huge over-the-top event, and what did I do? I got carried away, as usual. I won't even deny it; moms throwing parties for their two year olds are totally decorating for the benefit of the people who will appreciate it. My kid won't remember any of it. But the great thing is I didn't have to spend a truckload of money to decorate her party.

So here's the decor breakdown:

Sweets table- A thrifted dresser that I madeover for her bedroom.

Curtains- I made these for her bedroom too, which I'll be sharing the tutorial for later on.

Curtain rod- I already owned the rod and spray painted it Rustoleum Heirloom White and hung it with 3M Command Hooks that were just hanging out in our junk drawer.

Banner- Burlap banner made from twine and burlap scraps that I created on a computer printer.

Cupcake stand- A Goodwill find that cost just $3.

2 white pitchers/vases- A thrift store find for $2 that I filled with faux Walmart pink peonies at $2 each. I already owned the faux white flowers.

Pink scroll chargers- A Goodwill find for $3 each that were originally ceiling medallions. I painted them using Krylon spray paint in Ballet Slipper. They will be used as wall decor later.

Gumball jar- A repurposed apothecary jar we already had in our bathroom holding cotton balls.

Tutu garland- Twine, clothespins, and tulle bought by my mother-in-law. Tulle typically costs about $3 per spool.

White cake stand- We already owned this but I made it a year ago for about $5 using a candlestick, dinner plate, spray paint, and super glue.

Pointe shoes- I had in storage from my ballet dancing days in middle/high school.

Lace craft tablecloth- Found with the other plastic tablecloths on the Walmart party aisle for $3.

The entire setup cost me: $45.00 Crazy, right?! (I didn't count the dresser and curtains since they are being repurposed from Olivia's bedroom. They will live on for a long time after this party.)

The tutus doubled as favors at the end of the party.

Sweet little party guest Joslyn modeled it for us. Check out this tutorial to make it! It took me about 20-30 minutes per tutu and cost $3 each.

We bought cupcakes from the grocery store bakery at less than 50 cents each and simply dropped them into some nicer looking wrappers.

I made the sugar cookies using mostly ingredients we already had.

I had found the gumballs in Target about 2 months ago at 50% off. And I made the dipped Rice Krispie Treats by just following the traditional recipe, sticking a cake pop stick through them, and dipping them in pink candy melts.

Easy and cheap, and it still looked like it cost a pretty penny.

I love that my old pointe shoes got a change of scenery from the depths of our closet. (Something always told me to hold onto these in case I ever had a girl. I'm so glad my hoarding self listened to my gut on that one.)

I'm kind of sad we didn't get around to doing our craft activity. People were ready to eat! So I nixxed it. And we didn't have as many kids as originally planned. It was a busy weekend for everyone. But we used craft supplies we already had.

I used even more pointe shoes and a Goodwill white pitcher with Walmart flowers for a centerpiece. We have had the burlap runner on our table for months now, so I used it here too.

This was the finished product! I want to frame it in Olivia's room eventually.

I made all of the sweets table signs and craft table sign on PicMonkey. I just printed them from our computer and they were done!

In case you're wondering, I painted the blue fish bowl for our boy guest to make a handprint goldfish in case he wasn't a fan of the pink tutu craft. ;)

For the favors, I included a tiny plastic tiara, a bottle of bubbles, a small containter of Play-Doh, and a ring pop. All together, the favor box cost $2 thanks to 4 packs of items from the Dollar Store.

But really, y'all, favors aren't necessary. If you have to cut costs, get rid of the favors. I never think about favors at others' parties, and I'm always a bit surprised to get one. I mean, really? You fed me and you're giving me more goodies? You're too generous.

To keep from going broke on food, we held the party from 3:00-5:00 (after little ones' naptimes and between lunch and dinner) so that we wouldn't have to provide a full meal. We served appetizer foods, and, from what I could tell, everyone was completely satisfied.

We all devoured the food before I could snap a picture of the spread. It was yummy stuff. My parents and a few other guests brought a couple of appetizers too.

Here is what we served:

Sweet BBQ Crockpot Meatballs

Sausage Dip and Tortilla Chips

Stuffed Mushrooms (for any vegetarians in the crowd)

Mini Chicken Salad Sandwiches (Using a $4 container of deli chicken salad and a loaf of store brand white bread)

Potato Chips and French Onion Dip (Using store brand again- There is usually no difference between store brand and name brand.)

Veggie Tray with Carrots, Celery, and Cherry Tomatoes with Ranch Dressing

Deviled Eggs

Fruit and Cheese Tray

Cheese Ball with Pita Points

Olivia LOVED every second! It was so much fun to see the joy on her face the entire day.

Our silly girl now poses for photos. Stop growing up so fast!

Aaaand...after having cupcakes, we went out in the backyard to show her the big birthday present from her grandparents. Remember the "Mack Daddy" Project? I don't think her little legs could carry her fast enough. I'm amazed we were able to keep it a secret for an entire week.

Pure joy.

"Grandaddy" got to do the honors on the slide.

And the bubble machine was a huge hit (which I got in exchange for a store return last week...it wasn't technically free but if it didn't come out of my wallet at the time, it totally counts).

I'm so happy with how it all turned out. But even without all of the "froo froo" it was perfect simply having so many of the people we love there to celebrate. Your toddler will not hold a grudge because you didn't all out decorate for his/her party. Having around those you love is all that matters in the end. :)

I don't think I'll ever get over how emotional our daughter's birthday will be for me. It will always be exciting for her, but, for me, I'll never forget that exactly on this day, I first met this sweet little girl who changed my life forever.

Now, we're off to stuff our faces full of leftover cupcakes and play for hours on end in the rain on the playground! This post turned out way longer than I had planned.

I hope you take a moment this week to act like a kid again, to dance in your living room, to eat chocolate without thinking about calories, and to count your blessings for what you have. That's at least what we'll be doing. ;)

Love and hugs,

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