Beautiful old buildings in my town. ( @jessicandesigns )

It's a dream of mine to travel the world. God created such an amazing world that it would be a shame not to see as much of it as possible.  I envision Brooks and I going so many places as we get older, sitting together, sipping coffee & picking out places we want to explore. I would trade so many other things (like a big fancy house) to be able to travel the world.

I guess that explains my fascination of where other people live. I love browsing Instagram and seeing so many interesting places. I envision myself strolling down those streets, sipping coffee in those little coffee shops, sitting by the water on those beaches.

All of this led me to start the #exploremytown series on Instagram.  I would love to have you come play along.

Simply follow me and start posting pictures of your town (what you love about it, your favorite spots to go, beautiful landmarks, favorite places to eat, whatever you want) & tag them with #exploremytown.  I am so excited to see glimpses of where you're from & to feature some of your posts periodically!

I can't wait to explore your town! 

Old Shutters Turned Headboard + Bedroom Sneak Peek.

When we moved to our new home about a year ago, it was the first time we had our own bedroom since we had kids.  For 6 years there was always a crib in our bedroom because we never had enough bedrooms for everyone. 

I vowed to make us a cozy, private little retreat in this house.  I am not done by any means, but here is a peek at what I have done so far.

Here are some things I love:

Color

Old, rustic things

Re-purposing

Maps

Fun Prints

My amazing + colorful afghan from Emma was the inspiration for the colorful decor! 

I wanted to combine all those things I love and make a cute, re-purposed headboard + focal point. 

I have collected old things for a while now & put them to good use! 

Top 2 prints - Yellow Heart Art. 

Black & White Love print: Mandipidy

Map: On Paper

Barn Wood Frame: Old Red Barn Shop

Quilt made by The Sweet Sugar Beet.

I love the fun little details! 

My favorite: A true love story never ends sign from Barn Owl Primitives.

Picture circa 2003 on our honeymoon in Mexico. Seriously, look at my abs...and I thought I wasn't skinny then...CRAZY TALK! 

I LOVE my sheets from Target. They are so fun & bright and coming from a girl who is not a fan of sheets: COMFY! 

Our room is still a work in progress & I want to do so much more, but I am happy with my little re-purposed headboard & the start of the decor! 

12 Days of Christmas: My Christmas Mantel

I love my mantel! When I got it this summer, I was already thinking of how I could decorate it for Christmas. 

  Then when I decided to paint the mantel mint, the first thing that popped into my head was how will my Christmas decorations look sitting on it? 

No joke, I really thought that.  

But, since I'm not really into the traditional red & green colors of Christmas, I decided all would be okay.

I LOVE how our mantel looks! It reflects my style & the warmth I feel during Christmas time.  I get a cozy, happy feeling sitting in the living room at night with the twinkle lights a-twinkling. ;)

What's on my Mantel:

♥ Reclaimed barn wood frames from Old Red Barn Shop, which happens to be my Brother in Law Ian's shop! I SERIOUSLY love them! I have 2 more in my home & 3 more on order for our bedroom! 

♥ Chalk board Art from Lily & Val. I love our monogram N, that will stay up there all year! And the Joy to the World print is one of my favorite Christmas decorations I have ever had! (I also have the Baby it's Cold Outside & May all your days be merry & bright prints...I love them all!)

♥ Pine Cone Garland, Cone Tree & twinkle lights (LOVE twinkle lights) from R Classic Elements, a local store owned by my Mom's Friend Renee. 

If you have missed any of my 12 Days of Christmas posts, you can check them all out here. 

Only 7 days left until Christmas!

Mini Home Tour - How to make a House a Home.

Yesterday I shared my DIY Faux Vintage Pull Down Map Tutorial & while I was in the proccess of photographing it, I thought it might be fun to give you a mini-tour of my home.  So sit back while I give you a peek inside my living room where we spend most of our time!

Most of the things I decorate my home with are either thrifted, given to me, picked up a garage sales or found on these awesome facebook groups my Dad's wife Debbie got me hooked on! 

I got my old fireplace mantel (that I am in love with) off one of the facebook groups I belong to.  The lady I purchased it from said she found it in a very old farm house in a nearby town. 

It's a solid wood fireplace mantel and I can not believe the great condition it is in!  The details on the front of the mantel are like nothing made today!  I repainted it in my newest color obsession, mint! It is the focal point of the living room.

I love finding amazing vintage items to decorate my house with, it makes it feel so much more homey! But decorating is not the only thing that makes a house a home. 

I was listening to a country song yesterday ( I can't remember which one) but the artist was singing about how we seem to have forgotten how to make a house a home.  And sadly, I think that is largely true! 

It is very important to me that my children grow up with good morals, values and a sense of responsibility. I do not want them to have a sense of entitlement.

I believe all of that starts at home. It is my & my husbands responsibility to instill these things in our children. It is my prayer that with the Lord's help, we do a good job.

Here are some ways I try to make our house a home:

• I want to eat as a family every night & talk about whatever is on our hearts.  
• I want to make our kids feel secure, safe, able to come to me and their father with anything.  
• I want to teach them to be kind, respectful, hard working, loving, caring, responsible people who shine for the Lord in whatever they do. 
• I want to pray together as a family. I want to teach them to take everything to the Lord.
• I want to have weekly family movie nights where we all snuggle together.
• I want to tuck them in each night with prayers, kisses and hugs.
• I want to show them they are loved, unconditionally.  

Let's Chat!

Leave a comment answering one or both of these  questions:

♥ What's your favorite room in your home & why?
♥ How do you make your house a home?