Blue i Style - Creating an Organized & Pretty, Happy Home

Playroom Furniture & Storage Ideas

It's Week 2 of the New Year New Room Refresh Challenge. Last week, I shared the before photos of the former bedroom that we recently converted into a playroom / hangout room better suited to our growing boys. This week, I'm talking about playroom furniture and how to chose hard working pieces that add both style and function to the space. Six years ago, I wrote a popular post titled "How to Decorate a Boy's Bedroom That Will Grow With Him." In that post, I made a pretty bold statement - I ... View the Post

Room Makeovers & Design Plans

Bedroom to Playroom Refresh Plans

I think we can all agree that 2020 was a rough year, but it also solidified my belief in the importance of creating a home you love! Having fun and comfortable spaces where you can just relax and enjoy family time is one of the greatest gifts! All of the extra time at home this past year also shined a light on the spaces in our house that aren't working as well for us as they could be - especially the kids' play area in our basement, and Beckett's former bedroom. Both of these areas were ... View the Post

Five Minute Friday· Organizing

Candle Storage Ideas

Until recently, I'd never given much thought to how to store candles. Years ago I haphazardly stuck all of our candles into a couple of lidded boxes and put them on the shelves in our entry table. It worked ok... for a while, but eventually I had to admit that I needed to come up with a better candle storage idea. I like to make simple changes to our decor for each season and holiday, so I have quite a few pillar candles, tapers, votives, and tea lights in various colors. Over the years, as I ... View the Post

Decorating Tips & Tutorials

Colorful and Modern Oriental Rugs

If you'd asked me few years ago if I'd ever add an oriental rug in my modern living room, I would have told you no way. But this traditional style of rug has made a playful comeback in recent years with lots of bold, colorful options. At the beginning of the year, we repainted our living room walls from teal to gray, and added an entire wall of white book shelves (get the details on how we customized these IKEA bookshelves). After the updates, our living room was feeling a little too neutral ... View the Post

Organizing Kids

How to Stay Organized During Distance Learning with a Rolling School Cart

There are so many different variations on what school will look like this fall, but for many of us, we are preparing for "back to school at home." The start of a new school year is always a good time to get organized and create new systems to keep things running smoothly, and this year that's more important than ever. I've joined with 15 talented bloggers to bring you lots of tips and tricks for back to school organization and decorating ideas for your school HQ. You'll find all the links to ... View the Post

Organizing Kids

Affordable Student Desks for Remote Learning and Home Schooling

As information from school districts around the country continues to evolve regarding the return to in-person school versus remote learning for the fall, I've heard from many friends who are struggling to find small, affordable desks for their kids to create a dedicated school-at-home work space. Just about everyone I know has made IKEA their first stop, which makes sense because you can't beat the price, but from what I'm hearing, desks at IKEA are almost completely out of stock. In fact, ... View the Post

Cleaning· Organizing

Why You Need Shelf Liner + Cleaning & Organizing Hacks

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand Easy Liner. All opinions are 100% mine. If you've ever asked if it's really necessary or worth the time to use shelf or drawer liners, you're not alone. I've wondered the same over the years, and I've sometimes skipped this important step, only to go back and redo it later. Since it's a common question, I thought it would be helpful to share why you need shelf and drawer liner. And since we all love cleaning and organizing hacks, ... View the Post

Decorating Tips & Tutorials· DIY Tips & Tutorials

How to Create Wall Words Using Cricut

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine. This post also contains affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, you'll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission. A few years ago, when asked to describe my home style in three words, I came up with MODERN. GRAPHIC. FAMILY. While "family" isn't a style in the traditional sense, to me it means creating a home that tells my family's unique story. As a result, our decor ... View the Post

Organizing

Five Ways to Get Your Home Organized With Cricut Joy

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine. Cricut has long been established as the ultimate crafting tool! And while I get my craft on from time to time, I've always used my Cricut cutting machine primarily for organizing. While I love my Cricut Explore Air (and am coveting a Cricut Maker for it's ability to cut even more materials), the truth is that both machines are much more powerful than what I need for the majority of my projects. I love ... View the Post

Decorating Tips & Tutorials· DIY Tips & Tutorials· Paint

How to Paint Laminate Furniture the Right Way

Back when I was in law school, I bought several pieces of inexpensive, white laminate furniture with the plan to repaint them for my first solo apartment. The only problem was that I didn't know how to paint laminate furniture, so my simple little DIY plans quickly turned into a big mess with the paint literally peeling off in sheets. Now here I am, all these years later, looking to upgrade the style in my living room, and what do I decide to do? Buy some inexpensive, white furniture and add ... View the Post

Life With Kids

Printable Dolittle Activities

We've always enjoyed family movie nights, but lately, we've also been enjoying family movie mornings and afternoons. There's nothing like the smell of popcorn and the sound of kids laughing to brighten all these days stuck at home. This past weekend we picked up the new Dolittle DVD along with some other essentials using the Walmart Pickup Service, and it was the perfect choice! We all loved it, and the boys have already watched it three or four more times {which I can tell is just the ... View the Post

Holidays & Seasons· Life With Kids

Easter Egg Lego Scavenger Hunt Ideas

Easter is just around the corner, and I love making the morning special for the kids with an Easter Egg Hunt. Each year, we come up with creative non candy Easter egg fillers. Last year, I came up with a new idea that proved to be a huge hit - Legos! The night before Easter, I opened the box of Legos and emptied all of the pieces into a bowl. Then I filled each of our plastic Easter eggs with a handful of pieces, dividing them up evenly between all of the eggs. Most years we attend a ... View the Post

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