Things I Like

I have a new "Things I like" section that I added (you can access it anytime via the "THINGS I LIKE" link at the top of the blog). A few other bloggers that I follow have this feature and I love it. You can click on any of the photos and it will take you to the product. There are affiliate links included.

9 Tried & True Paint Colors

Over the last ten years, we've made a lot of great color choices when it comes to paint, but we've also made a lot of terrible ones. There was a lot of trial and error involved before we figured out how to choose a good paint color. When we bought our first house, we couldn't agree on paint colors, so we decided that I could choose the living room color and Kev could choose the family room color. We ended up with cranberry red and lime green. Like, glowing-nearly-fluorescent lime. I think we painted and repainted nearly every room in our first house. And even when you buy paint testers, although it helps, there's really nothing that can show you how a color is going to change the look and feel of a space until you get most of the space painted. So to hopefully save you a little bit of our pain and frustration, here are a few tried and true colors that we feel like, YES, we got it really right.

1. Behr Dolphin Fin

This color is such a great neutral. It goes with just about everything, and it contrasts well with bright white trim. Even though it's a nice light gray, I prefer it in spaces that get a lot of natural light. In darker spaces, I go a shade lighter with Behr Silver Drop, which you can see a little further down in the post. I think Behr may have taken this color out of their collection of paint chips, but they can still mix it for you.

You can see more of our former family room here.


2. Martha Stewart Magnetite

This color was actually a happy accident. I meant to get a more medium gray and somehow asked for this one by mistake. I didn't realize it until I started painting it on the wall, but I ended up absolutely loving it. It looks amazing in a space that has a lot of white to balance it out. It also looks great with wood tones, greenery, and pastels.


3. Behr Juniper Breeze

For this space we wanted a light neutral, but I didn't want to go with a traditional gray. We found this light blue-green-gray. I love that the color changes depending on the light and that it's still really neutral. It looks great with white and warm wood tones.


4. Behr Venus Teal

This is probably the most colorful that we've gone in a long time, but I love this color. It's rich without being too heavy and dark. It's colorful without being too saturated. It's just a really lovely, balanced color.


5. Behr Ultra Pure White

We use this color for all of our trim, but I love it on the walls as well. It's bright without being to cold. It looks great with pretty much everything.

You can see more photos of our new house here.


6. Behr Silver Drop

A slightly lighter version of Behr Dolphin Fin, which I mentioned earlier, this is a the perfect light gray. It looks great with everything, but especially coppers and warm wood tones.

You can see more photos of our kitchen reno here.

7. Behr Country Dairy

If you're looking for a great off-white/cream color, this is it. Light and airy, and a great neutral that pairs well with most anything.

You can see more photos of Violet's room here.


8. Behr Prelude

I was worried that this color might be too dark for this small space, so we added the beadboard to help balance things out. It ended up being such a cozy space. I love this color paired with whites, warm linens, and warm colors - yellow-golds, oranges, and reds.

You can see photos of Violet's nursery here.

9. Behr Smokey Slate

This color was the winner after we tested many, many colors for our lower cabinets. It would also look great on a piece of furniture like a bookcase, or even as a wall color. I love this color with jewel tones, whites, and warm wood tones.

So what about you? Have you found any paint colors that you love? I'd love to hear about them! We've still got a lot of rooms to paint! xo, Lauren

You can see more photos of our first house here, and our new house here.

(Just as an FYI, we tend to use a lot of Behr paint because we think it's a great product - this post is not sponsored by them in any way.)

(Paintbrush photo by my talented friend, Elizabeth.)

I've Got My Eye On .01

Now that we've moved, I'm surprisingly finding that I'm drawn to charcoal blacks, indigo blues, and brass. I'm not sure what it is about this house, but it somehow feels right. A few of these picks are a bit out of my league budget-wise, but they're definitely inspiring me at the moment:

1. Serena & Lily Hanging Rattan Chair - I think the girls would just love this and it's the right mix of whimsy and sophistication.

2. Oversized Mirror - Another great buy - this mirror is huge!

3. Paisley Pillows - This one is super budget-friendly - two pretty pillows for $29.99?!

4. Buffalo Check - Would love to upholster a chair or bench in this fabric, but a pillow is certainly  much more affordable option.

5. Libations Bar Cart - Okay, so this one is WAY out of my league, but so, so pretty!

6. Faceted Stone Lamp - I've always had a thing for soapstone (and this one is on sale right now!)

7. Medallion Rug - Love that this rug is a perfect combination of classic and contemporary (plus I bet the dark color would hold up well with kids and cats!)

Family Room Updates

A few months ago I was trying to decide whether or not to squeeze a mini gallery wall into this little corner of our family room and I did this mock up and took a picture for debate purposes (during which Violet hopped into the picture and kind of stole the show):

So anyway, I decided to go for it, and while it's still a work in progress it's not looking too shabby at the moment. Things are actually nailed to the wall this time rather than leaned, taped, or sticky-tacked, so that's an improvement! (And the cats decided to get in on the action in this picture - Violet was at her grandparents'):

We also were considering replacing our rug with something a little bit more plush. I love the look (and price) of flat woven rugs, but they aren't exactly the best for kids to crawl around and play on. I hated to spend the money at the moment - plush, pretty rugs can be sooo pricey, but luckily we were saved at the last moment by the lovely people over at Rug Pad USA. We had a no-slip "pad" before, but it definitely didn't add any cushioning whatsoever. I never realized what a difference a good rug pad could make until we tried one out. They sent us one of their premium-lock rug pads for the family room and an eco-cushion rug pad for the rug in Lucy's nursery, and I am truly amazed by the improvement they've made. The rugs are so much more comfortable to walk and sit on and don't shift around like they used to. Definitely recommend them.

Now if only I could get a better camera I'd be a happy camper. Ours kind of bit the dust - it's just old I guess and isn't taking nice photos any more, so I've been stuck with just the iPhone for now. Someday maybe we'll be able to afford a shiny new DSLR! A girl can dream, right? Luckily the iPhone isn't so terrible. Here are some cute pics I got of Violet and Lucy romping around on the couch the other day:

Not too terrible for a phone. This is like their favorite thing in the world to do these days - rip all of the pillows off of the couch and bounce around like crazy people. And Violet just loooves when Kev builds forts and slides and things for her them. Being a kid is the best. No wonder Violet never wants to grow up :)

P.S. You can find us on Instagram @alovelylark

Natural Wonder

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UNCOMMON GOODS

Patchwood Headboard, Bubble Wall Clock, Animal Alphabet Print, Cardboard Moose Bust, Alphabet Factory Blocks, Hee Haw Pull Toy, Sleeping Fox Pillow, Wud Double Side Table, Sweet Dreams Pillow Cases, Invisible Shelf, Salt Desk Lamp, Moss Terrarium, Cubebot Puzzle, USA World Map Poster, Lake Louise Photographic Print

I was honestly totally into the idea of a third kid after I had Lucy - overall she's been so much easier than Violet was as a baby, but at nine months she's still not sleeping through the night, so I'm starting to rethink the whole idea! The bags under my eyes are about the size of Jupiter at this point, and I'm starting to resemble a character from the Walking Dead more and more each day (and I don't mean the living ones). You never know though - if I've learned one thing about motherhood it's that you forget the difficult things pretty quickly - my poor sister asked me sooo many questions after she had my nephew and I felt like such a loser because I couldn't answer half of them! I think it must be Mother Nature's way of keeping the species from going extinct :)

On the other hand, one of my favorite things to do is to create idea boards for teeny people - so much so that it almost makes me want to have like twenty kids so that I can create pretty bedrooms for all of them (okay, okay, so maybe I don't love it that much, but you get my drift!) But after a while using traditional sources for children's decor can start to feel a little like you're rehashing the same things over and over again. Something I love to do to keep things fresh is to explore my favorite sites that aren't necessarily branded as children's decor stores. I've always loved shopping at Uncommon Goods, and I've found a lot of favorite kids' toys, artwork, and even furniture there, so I teamed up with them to create this idea board. I love all of the natural elements and wood tones paired with the crisp modern blacks and whites. I would totally bring this room to life if I had a little boy! IF. xo, Lauren

This post was sponsored by Uncommon Goods. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Creating a Cozy Space for Fall

Have I mentioned that Fall is one of my favorite seasons? It all just makes me want to curl up by a cozy fire and read a good book (perhaps whilst sipping hot apple cider?) While that's probably not going to happen with Violet and Lucy keeping me busy, but nonetheless I've been dreaming up a space that would be just right for my Fall fantasy (no, nothing to do with football!). Wouldn't this just make the perfect cozy space by a crackling fire? You can find sources for all of these items and more over at my ideabook on Houzz.com. xo, Lauren

P.S. Don't forget to enter to win $100 to National Builder Supply!

P.P.S. My dream laundry room and a circus-inspired nursery.

Kitchen Update (Let there be light!)

You may remember the hideousness of our plastic light fixture from the before photos of our kitchen. It was meant to look like a capiz shell pendant, but it was definitely plastic and definitely not our style.

The other light in our kitchen was a very dated ceiling fan. They always drove me crazy, not only because of how they looked, but also because they weren't centered with the windows. So I was thrilled when National Builder Supply contacted us to review pendant lights for the kitchen!

National Builder Supply is an an online wholesaler of kitchen, bath, and lighting fixtures, and they have a huge selection to choose from. We had a really difficult time deciding, because they had a ton of amazing options, but in the end we decided to go for classic schoolhouse pendants. Since our tiny casa is from the 1930's, we've often gone the more classic route with choices for our decor (like the hexagon and subway tiles in our bathroom for instance). I love the copper/bronze finish - it really adds character and helps to warm up the space. I think it's also going to look amazing once we get the knobs and pulls on the cabinets and drawers. We're thinking of going with an oil-rubbed bronze, kind of like this:

Kev was super busy with helping me get the cabinets ready for the big reveal, so he didn't have much time to dedicate to the lighting situation. Luckily my grandfather was an electrician, so my dad is really handy with that kind of thing and helped us out. (Thanks Daddy!) It's amazing how much more light they shed - it's so much easier to see when we're preparing food! I think Lucy will miss the ceiling fan - she would probably stare at it forever, but I am SO happy it is gone.

Thank you so much to National Builder Supply for helping us out with the kitchen update, we couldn't be happier with the results! Next on my to-do list for the kitchen is cabinet and drawer hardware - we've been living without knobs and pulls since August, so I'm ready to get going on that project.

Stay tuned for a giveaway to National Builder Supply later today! xo, Lauren

Dreaming of a Laundry Room

Right now my washer and dryer are in the dungeon that we call a basement, but someday I hope to have a real laundry room. For now I'll just have to dream one up in my head. Enter my latest ideabook for Houzz.com - a lovely wallpaper accent wall, front-loading washer and dryer, and a pretty striped hamper? Yes please! You can find more info and all of the sources here.

Happy Friday! xo, Lauren

P.S. Recipe for a rustic farmhouse kitchen and if I had a vanity

Oh to Have a Vanity

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MODERN BATHROOM

I know all of the reasons that we choose to live in a tiny house - we love the location, the character, and the fact that it's not much to heat, clean, etc. It's cozy and homey. But there are some things that I would change if I could. One big one would be the size of our bathroom. The only full bath in our house is only big enough for a small pedestal sink. Oh to have a place to set my flat iron, hair dryer, toothbrush, etc.! That would be truly amazing. So when I was contacted by the folks at Modern Bathroom to check out their site, I went straight to the bathroom vanities section and lusted over all of the glorious countertop space. I mean, wouldn't this be just perfect in our bathroom?

Sigh, a girl can dream. Maybe someday we'll be able to afford a larger house in our neighborhood without sacrificing the things we love about our current house. For those of you who are lucky enough to have space for a real vanity, Modern Bathroom has a great range from modern vanities to transitional vanities to vanities with an antique look. And here's where you can find everything on the idea board:

pink love salts, medicine box, mirror, sconce, painting, shower curtain, rug, basket, hand towel, vanity

xo, Lauren

This post was sponsored by Modern Bathroom. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Handmade Love

Aren't these handprinted tea towels from A Sunny Afternoon Co. just gorgeous? I'm thinking one of them may find a home in my kitchen...

Kitchen Update

We waited until last to update one of the most important rooms in the house - the kitchen. Probably because it's going to be such a big undertaking. (That we're kind of dreading, especially with kids) We're currently working on painting the cabinets white, and eventually we're going to replace the tired laminate with hardwood. Not sure what we're going to replace the countertops with. Right now they're a beige laminate - so far I'm liking Formica's Soapstone Sequoia, actual soapstone, or butcher block. While I really love the warmth of butcher block, I'm not sure how it would go over with buyers if we were to sell the house in the future.

I also would like to repaint the walls a light gray, like our back room, and add some pretty things into the space. Right now it's just bare basics. Here's what I'm thinking:

Clockwise from top left: cutting board, egg tray, wooden spoon, winter squash poster, landscape painting, market bag, ceramic utensil jar, measuring cups, ceramic owl, pitcher, scrub brush, recipe box, orchard basket, wire baskets, honeycomb planter, salt and pepper shakers

So I'm thinking the flooring and counters may take some serious time, (hello, three year old and three month old) but here's hoping we can at least get the cabinets painting and spruce things up a bit for now! Wish me luck :) xo, Lauren

Del Mar

I've been dreaming about the sea. I'd love to take a trip this summer, but I'm not sure that it's practical with our small budget and new babe. So for now I'll settle for a pretty ocean-inspired collection...

platter, wave image, botanica, pink salts, vintage tote, linen blankets, bistro table, wire baskets, ocean image, salt water taffy, belly baskets

Joy & Revelry White Box Challenge

My friend, Reichel, from Copy Cat Chic (a super amazing blog that I use ALL of the time to find less expensive versions of my fav things - seriously - if you want pretty things but are on a budget it's a gem), asked me if I wanted to participate in Joy & Revelry's White Box Challenge. It was probably the closest I would ever get to being on Design HGTV Star or something (I thought maybe David Bromstead would show up, and I could totally deal with that, but no - wrong White Box Challenge. Oh well.) Plus I got to keep the gorgeous lamp I was styling too, so I was like, sign me up!

Joy & Revelry is a really awesome new-to-me home decor site where they team up with some really talented designers and bloggers (one of which is Reichel) who basically find gorgeous things for your home. So smart. This Westwood Lamp is one of the (many) pretty things in Reichel's shop. Here's how I styled it:

You can see what the other ladies participating did here. If you come across something you love on the site, Joy & Revelry created this 10% off code for you guys: CCC_WHITEBOX_10

Thanks so much Reichel for inviting me to participate! xo, Lauren

Lamp: c/o Joy & Revelry
Laura Print: Michelle Armas
Pink Ombre Painting: DIY
Oh Happy Day Gold Foil Print: Lara Casey Shop
Geometric Terrarium: Urban Outfitters
Brass Urchin: Furbish

A Rustic Farmhouse Kitchen

With the kitchen being the last main room in the house that needs major updating, I've been gathering ideas. Here's a pretty, rustic farmhouse kitchen that I came up with over on Houzz.com:

For more products and sources you can check it out here. xo, Lauren

Candy Coated Summer

My latest ideabook for Houzz.com is up! I'm currently obsessing over all of the delicious candy-colored hues that are out right now - yum. You can check out details and sources here. Hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day! xo, Lauren

P.S. Recipe for a Rustic Kitchen & A Fresh and Feminine Workspace

Something to from Katie Stratton

Today I have a lovely Something to post for you all, created by Katie Stratton of Katie's Pencil Box. Her blog is filled with the most gorgeous imagery, and I have to say I am just simply dying to see her daughter Phoebe's finished nursery. Thanks so much Katie for sharing your picks with us! xo, Lauren

make: diy mountain pillow
wear: ochre dress
live: spotted pouf
read: A Long Piece of String
play: toy banjo

Something to from Esther Garfield

Today's Something to post is brought to you buy the lovely Esther Garfield of Buy Modern Baby. Esther is mama to two adorable little boys, so I was super surprised when I saw her adorable girly pink picks for us today! Take it away Esther:

I'm so excited that Violet is going to have a baby sister to play with!  Inspired by lovely little girls and the upcoming spring, I've got something to...

make: diy lockers
wear: neon pink star dress / fringe suede mocassins  
live: hot pink side chair
read: Spring is Here
play: fade out nesting dolls

Something To from Reichel Broussard

Today's lovely guest blogger is Reichel Broussard of Copy Cat Chic. Her blog is a must read if you're into creating a beautiful home but are on a budget. She's got the best taste, and I'm so excited to follow along as she decorates her new home. Here are Reichel's picks:

make: Belted Shelves
wear: Ring
live: Vintage Stool
read: A Small Surprise by Louise Yates
play: Little Ozzie

A Fresh & Feminine Workspace

I have a tiny little nook for my workspace, but if I had a full-blown office it would totally look something like this. You can check out all of the sources and more products over at my ideabook for Houzz.com!

City Landscapes

Aren't these city landscapes from Muji just the cutest?! They're meant as pen stands, but I think they'd make a great piece of artwork just on their own. They also have Paris and Tokyo. xo, Lauren