A Little Fall Decor Inspo + Update

Well hello old friends! My goodness, it has been a while since I've written a blog post! As many of you know, I took a job to be the head cheer coach at my old high school. It was super unexpected and sudden but has been fun to get back into cheer. It has also come with a lot of challenges such as finding a balance between cheer stuff, mom stuff, church calling stuff, wife stuff, and blog stuff... I think it's clear which one got pushed out. But, I don't want to give up blogging! I'm still working on finding a balance and making it all work but I figured the first year coaching would be a lot so this is to be expected. Hunter works his full time job then comes home to take care of the girls while I'm at practice. In a couple weeks he is also going to be coaching the jv basketball team at the same high school as me. Sooo life is about to get even more insane! Oaklyn is in her second/last year of preschool and killing it. Every time I talk to her teachers they speak highly of her and she does awesome on all the worksheets they give her. She's a sassy child so I'm wishing she acted that way at home all the time...but I guess I'd rather her be good for others than me. She's also taking gymnastics/tumbling and loving that. Cam is my little bestie these days. She practically never leaves my side and we both like it that way. She'll be going to preschool next year and it's actually breaking my heart. I just want her to be my baby forever. 

I had fully planned on posting this in September... HA! But I guess better late than never! If you're like me, you already have Christmas on your mind. But if you're not like me, fall will be staying up for another month so I guess this post isn't superrr late. Right? I absolutely love this time of year. Fall is soo much fun. It's still too hot in San Diego so I can at least decorate for fall to feel festive! When Hunter and I first got married I bought a lot of fall decor with really strong and bright oranges. The traditional fall decor with leaves and orange pumpkins. While I don't mind that look, it was really clashing with the way my decor style has evolved so I tried to transition into more neutrals and muted burnt orange. 

Little fall signs are from the Target dollar section a few years ago. Fabric pumpkins are from the dollar section. Friend pumpkin is a chalkboard pumpkin and a friend did the calligraphy. The white pumpkin is from Hobby Lobby. I then bought fall florals and arranged them on the top of the pumpkin to my liking. The wood bead and tassel banner is from Hobby Lobby. 

The wood tray is from a cute local store called Finely Home. The mini fall sign and buffalo check pumpkin pillow is from the dollar section along with the orange ceramic pumpkin. The florals and vase are from Hobby Lobby. 

The grey and white vase is from Hobby Lobby and the stems and ceramic pumpkin are both from Target's fall section. 

Blanket ladder was a DIY and can be found here. Pumpkins are from Michaels and I did the ombre and glitter design on them. Little Happy Fall sign and leaf wood block are also DIY projects. All supplies were found at Michaels. Cotton wreath is from Hobby Lobby.

Metal wall hangers are from Hobby Lobby and spray painted silver. Stems inside of them are from Michaels. Buffalo check fabric pumpkins and wood signs are from Target Dollar Section. 

Little wood signs come in a two pack in the Target dollar section. 

Letterboard and wood beads from Hobby Lobby. Chalkboard from Walmart. Wood pumpkin from Target Dollar Section. "Home" cutout from Michaels and hot glued on. 

Grey and white pumpkins are from the Target dollar section. Cactus is from Shop Liv3. Black Pumpkin is old and I can't remember, ha! Buffalo Check pumpkin was a DIY project. The wood pumpkin cutout is from Hobby Lobby along with the M. I taped sections off and painted the stripes on then hot glued the M.

So there's a little fall inspo! I can't promise it'll be up much longer though... I'm kind of a Christmas fanatic. Anyone else??

Now on to finishing up our family costumes and getting ready for all the festivities next week! I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Halloween!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

1

DIY Extra Large Wood Sign

Okay, this post has been a long time coming and I'm really sorry it has taken so long... but I can't wait to share it with you! I've wanted a really big sign above our bed for SO long but have not been able to find one I love for an affordable price. After searching and searching, I decided it was worth a shot to at least look into making my own. I walked into Home Depot with no real direction so I just walked up to an employee and he helped me tons! You guys won't believe how cheap it ended up being with all of the employees suggestions! It was cheap, easy, and might just be one of my favorite decorations we own! Soo let's get right into it!

What You'll Need:

-A stencil or really good handwriting. I used my Cricut and stencil vinyl to create my own. 

-5.0mm 2'x4' underlayment. It'll be pre cut and really cheap! I found a piece with some pretty natural wood designs. Find one that lays completely flat and stick it in your cart.

-General Purpose Lattice cut into 4 pieces. 2 pieces will be 4 ft and 2 pieces will be 2 ft

-grey wash for the frame

-White wash for the wood

-Black acrylic paint

-White acrylic paint

-Paint brush

-apoxy glue

-Two large sawtooth hooks

What You Need To Do

1) Go to Home Depot and get your supplies. You should be able to purchase everything there. While I was in store, I made sure to take pictures! So here's what you'll need... Also you'll need to cut the lattice. You can absolutely ask someone to cut it for you, but they should have saws out and it's really easy to just cut yourself. 

2) Lay out some plastic trash bags or an old blanket and white wash your big board. After that lay out your lattice pieces and grey wash them. I did a couple coats of each until I found the look I was going for. Let it all dry fully.

3) Lay out your lattice pieces to make a frame on the board. Once you get them all to fit use the apoxy to attach them. I used clean rocks on top to keep the pieces laying flat while they dried.

4) Okay, your board is ready! You have some options here... If you have excellent handwriting, go ahead and free write it. If you have a cricut, create your own stencil. I used fonts from dafont. I used Athena and Italian Breakfast. I did it in three parts, "You Will" (12in across) "Forever" (23in across) and "Be My Always" (20in across). I added on the swirls freehand. I used stencil vinyl and transfer tape to get it just right. I just used black acrylic paint and once it was fully dry, I touched up with white where needed. Your last option is to just buy a stencil from etsy or Hobby Lobby!

5) Once the stencil is removed and all paint is dried, attach your hooks to the back. I did two, one on the upper right side and one on the upper left side. Use a ruler to make sure they are even in height. Then ta-da! Your sign is ready to be hung and will be such a statement piece!

I really hope I covered it all in this post but if not, feel free to reach out with any questions!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

3

Blanket Ladder DIY

Are you ready for the easiest and cutest DIY everrr?? I have been wanting a blanket ladder for a while now. I think they are so cute and such a fun way to decorate and store blankets. I started to look on different websites to see how much it would cost me to buy one and it was absurd! I'm talking hundreds of dollars! And then the cheaper local ones I found were horrible quality or super tiny. That's when I got the idea to make one myself. I'm sure the guys at Home Depot hate me because I'm totally the girl that walks in like "heyyy I have this DIY project I want to do... can you show me how to do it??" Haha but they're always so patient and give great (and cheap) options. So, with the help of my trusty lumber Home Depot guys, this blanket ladder came to life at a whopping $8!! Can you believe that? And if you already have stain, it'll be even cheaper! I didn't take step by step photos because I honestly trust that you'll be able to figure it out based off what I'm saying. Well... hopefully haha. But seriously, it is THAT easy. 

Materials Needed:

(2) 2x4's cut to 76in (if you ask, they'll cut it for you)

(1) 1x3 cut into 4 14in pieces (again ask them to cut it)

1 small can of your choice in color of stain (i did the grey wash)

1 old rag

A drill

LONG screws. Guys, I can't find the box anywhere but I used wood screws and they were probably 6-8ish inches? Maybe a little longer. I'll update this if I find them. But, basically it needs to go into the side of the ladder and through the "steps" of the ladder so it needs to be quite long. 

How To:

Alright so obviously first go to Home Depot and get your wood. I didn't look for the most perfect pieces because I like the "rustic" look. When you get home use a rag to stain your wood. I found that two coats was perfect for the look I was going for. Let that dry completely. Alright, now you need to assemble your ladder. The best method I found was sticking the bottom of your ladder's legs flat up against a wall as if it was standing up so you can make sure they are at the exact length they would be if standing up. That way you can get your "steps" to be screwed in evenly. I put each wood step at 15.2 inches. Then I literally just took the drill and a screw and drilled them together. I went through the outside of the ladder and into the step. Since you wont actually be stepping on it, it just needs to hold together enough for decor to be held on it. Guys, that's literally it. I can't believe how easy it was! It was completed start to finish in a few hours and looks so cute. The blanket is from Cariloha, the sign is from Hobby Lobby, and the bucket is my mother in law's until I find one similar haha.

(If you look close you can see where I drilled the screw in this photo)

I hope you guys liked this DIY! Let me know if you have any questions!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

4

Floating Photo Frame DIY

When we moved into our current apartment, I knew it was incredibly temporary,  but it just didn't feel like a home without decorating the way I wanted.

For the first time ever in our marriage, we walked in to a completely blank slate and it was SO refreshing!

White walls in every room made the possibilities endless.

I basically went through everything I had and got rid of a crazy amount of stuff because it was never really my style to begin with, it just worked in our previous places.

I've always loved light and bright when it comes to decor so i knew I wanted a lot of white.

 I also absolutely love displaying our family's memories so I wanted something that held a lot of photos without looking cluttered. 

I had two blank walls that needed some love but none of my old stuff was working.

I shared what I did with one of the walls here, but was torn for a while with the other wall.

I kept resorting to a gallery wall since I wanted a way to display a bunch of photos but ultimately decided against it because I really didn't want it to look cluttered.

Everything I was finding at my usual stores just wasn't cutting it so I decided to make something myself!

I am in love with the way these frames turned out.

They are exactly what I was envisioning.

Ultimately I wanted this DIY to be cheap!

While I am planning on bringing them with us wherever it is we go, I just knew there was a way to make them without breaking the bank. 

I went to Lowes and Hobby Lobby and weighed out all my options several different times and finally figured out how to make all three for around $10.

YUP! You heard that right ;)

So here's what you need and how to do it...

Sorry guys, I totally spaced step by step directions.

What you'll need:

-Wood!  I can't remember the exact name of the wood I used but it was very similar to this one. I believe the ones I got were just under $2 though. I had them cut the pieces into 32 inch pieces and and 12 inch pieces. I needed 6 of each to make three frames. 

-Paint. Use whatever color you want but I just used white acrylic from Hobby Lobby

-Wood Glue. 

-Twine

-Black and white photos. Of course you can do color... but black and white looks much more uniform!

-Hot Glue

-Something to hang it. You can get the cool things like the sawtooth hangers to nail in or a wire but since we're renting I just attached command strips on the back.

How to make them:

1) Cut your pieces into the dimensions I stated above. You may need to sand the edges a little bit.

2) Assemble two 32 inch pieces and two 12 inch pieces to make a frame shape. Then add a little wood glue and apply pressure. This is where I went the cheapest route. Most frames have a 45 degree angle but I didn't have a saw to do that or correct tools to attach the pieces. If you do, then go ahead and go that route!

3) Once the wood glue has dried your frames are done! Haha so easy. I then painted my frames and let them dry but spray paint would've also been super easy.

4) Wrap twine a few times around the top. I wrapped it around the top pieces of the frame twice then strung it down and did the same to the bottom. I then Just took a smaller piece and wrapped it twice around the other side of the middle piece of twine that's used to hang the photos. I used hot glue to make the twine stay in place. I also cut out the backside of the twine since I used command strips and the twine made the back side too bulky.

5) Attach your photos using good ol tape! I got mine printed in 5X5 at Costco and arranged them to my liking before placing the tape. It has held great and will make changing them out super easy!

That's all!

You guys, these frames were so so easy to make and are one of my favorite decorations.

Not only do each of the sweet memories bring a little tear to my eye each time I look, but I love how clean it looks in our hallway. 

I also think it would look great with four or even five frames in a bigger space!

I hope you guys enjoyed this little DIY!

What are you currently working on in your home?

All my love,

Aleigh Joy 

7

Current Favorites with Lorena Canals, Milestone World, & Finn and Emma

As many of you know, I'm all about trying new brands and products.

It's always fun to see if something lives up to all the hype it was given or if it falls short of what everyone says. 

Everyone has their own opinions about different brands and products, and I love sharing mine!

When I find something I absolutely love, I have to share it with everyone!

So today, I'm sharing three brands with products we absolutely love!

First off are these cards from Milestone World. At first, I have to admit that I didn't totally see why I needed these. As time went on in Oaklyn's life, I realized just how perfect they are for a busy mama. I have missed writing down so many important dates in Oaklyn's first year of life because I just didn't make it a priority. With these cards I remember to snap a quick photo of her with each milestone and it makes memory keeping SO much easier! There is also a spot to fill in the date on each card so you can easily look back and remember when each milestone happened. It has been so much easier than making my own scrapbook and I no longer have to feel guilty about not remembering important dates!

Next are the clothes from Finn and Emma. They have toys as well and we love the wood rattle teethers. They are untreated Indian hardwood with a non toxic finish, and are filled with beans. They make the cutest noise and photos ;) However, the pants that I got for Oaklyn from them easily became our favorite. Their clothes are 100% organic cotton, G.O.T.S certified, and made with non toxic and eco friendly dyes. Not only that, but they are SO comfortable! Oaklyn asks for her "comfy pants" during every single nap. I don't blame her! Check out all their awesome 100% organic products!

Lastly, and far from least, is this amazing rug from Lorena Canals! I seriously wish I had known about these way earlier in life! Why? Because, they're machine washable! Yes, you read that right! When it gets dirty you can literally just pick it up and throw it in the wash. No weird cleaners, no going to the laundromat, no beating the rug outside... literally pick it up and throw it in your washing machine. The rug I got when we first got married seriously never got cleaned because it was just way too hard. We vacuumed over it when we remembered but after just one year of use, it was trashed. I want a Lorena Canals rug in every single room because they are everything every mom wants and needs! They are cute, stylish, and SO functional! We have this cute one, but there are so many fun prints and patterns that I really want them all! ;)

I highly suggest going and checking all of these shops out! You won't regret it!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

0

Finding the Perfect Pillows and Mixing Patterns

A trend I feared for quite some time, was mixing patterns.

I loved every outfit I saw on Pinterest where someone wore a striped shirt with a floral skirt, yet I couldn't seem to get myself to do it!

I saw it everywhere I went and I loved it more and more each time.

I loved that it broke all rules of how you are "supposed to match" and left people with the freedom to do what they want.

I also loved seeing combinations I never would've thought of myself.

There's a very good possibility your grandma won't like it... but just know I do ;)

Then I started noticing pattern mixing when it came to home decor and I fell in love.

Who would've thought throwing a whole bunch of different patterns, shapes, and sizes of pillows on a couch would look phenomenal? 

There's definitely a way to do it tastefully though.

And while I'm no pro... my mom is. 

So I asked her what some of her tips were when it came to picking the right pillows, and I added a few of my own.

Pattern:

Choose a pillow with a pattern you love. Then stay within the color scheme you want and pick another pattern. Then find a solid pillow with a common color. You can even add in a graphic (a birdcage, a bicycle, or maybe a pumpkin for fall). I also love all the pillows my mom has with words on them. You could do black and white stripes with pink and white damask. Then add in a sequin black pillow and maybe a smaller white rectangular pillow.

Size

On that last note.. let's talk about size. I think it is so important to add different sizes of pillows on your bed, couch, or anywhere else you put pillows. You aren't going to achieve that "pinterest look" without adding several different sizes. Try for a few large, a few medium, and a couple small all mixed in with each other. 

Shape

Shape is another important one. We all have bigger pillows on our bed to sleep on, but what about the decorative ones? I have 6 larger rectangle pillows so the smaller decorative ones aren't right up against my headboard. I then added 2 square pillows from Overstock, one square from Hayneedle, and one bow pillow from Target. Oh, and I'm definitely not done ;)

Those are just a few tips that will help you when deciding what pillows to add to a newly decorated space, or a space you just want to freshen up. If you need more advice or even want a consultation, here's my mom's business. Also, make sure to check Overstock.com for all your pillow needs. I found so many awesome options and I love the pillows I chose. They are all affordable and there are so many awesome brands to choose from. They have several different shapes, sizes, and patterns so you are bound to find something you like ;)

I added a few of my current favorite pillows out there with a more shabby chic/farmhouse look below... so it's now time to put your knowledge to the test... which ones will you choose to mix and match? ;)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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