Thrifty, Practical Decorating

One of my favorite things I’ve made a priority in my home is what I’ve decided to call “practical decorating”. I’ve been doing it for years without really giving it a name, but after thinking it over and looking around my home for something worthy of adorning the pages of this blog, I began to see a theme throughout each room. Everything has a purpose. Everything is useful AND beautiful (to me at least). Here are some of my favorite examples of practical decorating from my own home:

We inherited some beautiful aprons from my husband's grandmother and I really wanted them to be visible as well as accessible because we use them almost daily. So, I hung them right on open hooks in the kitchen. They’re easily accessible, and add a beautiful pop of color to my kitchen! With aprons as vibrant as these, there is simply no reason to stash them away in a drawer or behind a pantry door. 

I actually first saw this idea in the IKEA showroom, but I love how it translates to my kitchen. My cookbooks sit on open shelves on the walls. They serve dual purpose as decor and once again, are easily accessible for every day use. Cookbooks for me, are much more than a practical tool but also sentimental. Gifts given to me by my grandmother and mother, and I love how I'm reminded of these things as I glance around the most common room in the house. 

Here’s another one of my favorites. I found a mail holder at a thrift shop, washed it, and hung it in my kitchen and use it to store produce. It’s once again, super convenient and adds the perfect pop of color! Plus, as a bonus, it frees up counter space since now all my fruit and veggies hang on the wall! 

Another one of my favorite things to display is art work from my very own littles. These are pieces my two oldest did in Preschool and Kindergarten. They each created their own versions of Van Gogh’s “Vase of 15 sunflowers”. I absolutely adore these pieces and they also adorn the walls of my kitchen! I love when the pieces on my wall have a good story to go behind them!

Jumping over to the master bath-I needed a simple storage idea for our wash rags. I found this adorable basket last year, and right away had the idea to hang it on the wall. Practical, and adorable! 

Another option I use a lot, is I decorate with pictures of my family. I have these three photos of my babies, all in mismatched frames, hung at the end of our hallway to our bedrooms. There’s nothing more important to me than my family, so it’s the perfect choice to look at and remember their younger years every time I walk down the hall! I've also never had professional pictures of our family taken. Ever. So, don't be scared off if you feel like you don't have "good enough" pictures to display. Some of the best pictures are those candid's that really express the love between your family! 

Back to the kitchen- I found these old cooking magazines at a garage sale a couple years ago, ripped out a page I found to be nostalgic and complimentary to my kitchen. I framed the magazine page and hung it next to the big windows in my kitchen. This is a super cheap option and so unique! 

When decorating, one of the first things I think about is purpose. I want it to work well with every day life. I also don't want a bunch of items sitting around getting in the way. Simplicity and practicality are probably the best ways to describe my style. Of course with a pop of color here and there! ;) Let me know your favorite ways to decorate with functionality! 

Libraries change Lives

Game changer you guys. Game changer. Utilize your library. If you aren’t a regular at your local library, you are missing out. Having an online account with my library where I can order things and put things on hold has been fantastic. Literally I can search for books by genre, by things my kids are interested in, or just search what’s new. I place a hold on the item I want, and as soon as it’s ready, I get an email. I can then use the DRIVE THROUGH yes, drive through to pick up my items.

We haven’t used redbox, we’ve been checking out old favorites and waiting patiently for our turn to view new movies for FREE! Recent examples  have been Spider-Man into the universe, Ralph breaks the Internet, and classics like Sound of Music and Andre. Here’s a tip-I literally check the “new movies” section every day or two. Even then, by the time I place a hold I’m usually 150th-300th or so in line. But our local branches are all connected and they have several copies so it usually moves fairly quickly. 

I’ve loved being able to look up science books and get several and then keep the ones my kids like for longer, and just return the ones that weren’t quite the right fit. It also is kind of helping them feel like a “surprise” is waiting for them at home. It’s also helping curb my habit of picking up treats or trinkets for them while I’m out and about because I’ve thought about them, searched for something, found it and brought it home, it helps curb my gift giving habit. Instead of buying them something, I’m pouring energy into finding something I know they will love for free from the library! 

There are also countless event and program opportunities through the library. There are classes and seminars on how to learn to do something, homework help, lego groups, storytimes for toddlers and lets not forget the summer reading program that will be coming up soon where your kids  earn free books and a t-shirt! They also have an adult summer reading program now!!!! 

Our library also has a resource where you can live stream some movies and audio books! What???? Yes! Move over Netflix. 

I typically have a revolving relationship with the library and as a result have around 15-30 items checked out at all times usually with different due dates, so here’s how I keep track of it all:

There’s a basket dedicated to library materials in my living room. Everything goes in there as soon as we get home. When we are finished reading a particular book or we’ve watched the movie, it goes into a specific bag that hangs in the front coat closet ready for me to grab whenever I’m going back to the library to pick up more holds. I usually stop one way or the other once a week at the library for returns or to get more items or both. 

I also love that I get an email reminding me when items are due back. I get an email 3 days before items are due. This helps me remember to either make sure to read or watch the item OR to get online and renew it. 

This system has worked pretty well for us so far. Everybody knows everything from the library stays in the living room and we really pay minimal fines and have never lost a library book because of this. (Somebody reach over and knock on your wood desk right now for me) 

Bottom line-for this penny pinching family-the Library has been a lifeline. We LOVE that we have such a fantastic reaource that literally costs us nothing yet makes us feel so spoiled! What do YOU love about the Library????