home decor

Latest Obsessions 02.18

| The Bee Life

It’s that time to share my latest obsessions this month!  And these obsessions are all around the house, the latest trends and styles that I’ve got my eye on to help make a statement.
Latest Obsessions 02.18 - the bee life
Floral Curtains. Obsessed with adding any pop of floral I can throughout the house, and a great way to do this is with floral curtains, especially when styled right, absolutely stunning. I haven’t worked floral curtains into our home just yet (chairs and pillows, yes!) but they’re always in the back of my mind trying to see how they might fit when I’m working through room updates. I love the vintage like patterns and bold colors these can bring to a room – I’ve got my eyes on this pair from T.J. Maxx.

Kate Spade Kitchen. We received a handful of Kate Spade goodies for our kitchen from our wedding registry and they’re some of my favorite things, from glasses, to serving platters and bowls, mugs, a rose vase, champagne flutes, oven mitts, and canisters. Not to mention, “Eat Cake for Breakfast” is basically my mantra – it’s become a thing.

Chunky Knit Blankets. These make such a statement and can be that finishing touch to a bed or sofa, and I’m completely obsessed with them (and that bedroom above).  Although I am NOT obsessed with the price tag on these beauties, but that’s another story! Etsy has a lot of these in various colors and sizes, too and I love this one from Ethan Allen.  I’ll be shopping around a bit more for a decent price!

Statement Tile. I love that patterned, statement tiles are becoming more and more popular and accessible. This patterned tile is not only affordable but classic and available at Lowes!  I hope to one day have some stunning tile like this in my bathroom or kitchen.

What have you been obsessing over lately? Any latest trends that you are dying to bring into your house?

Image Sources: Top Left | Top Right | Bottom Left | Bottom Right

DIY Headboard Inspiration

| The Bee Life

After being in our house for three-years this past November, it more than feels like home and the random after thought rooms are looking more finished – almost to the point that I need another house to decorate! *grins*
DIY Headboard Inspiration - the bee life
But there are still pieces and parts of the rooms that need finishing touches, for example our one guest room, formerly our master, needs a headboard! We currently have the bed set-up as a day-bed, which I really like because it just adds a little extra space in the room.  So while I want to add a headboard to this bed, I really want to keep it as a day-bed, but know I’ll probably want to switch it back – so there in lies my challenge to create a custom headboard that functions both for a day bed AND easily convertible to a normal bed.

Two summers ago I made a custom, upholstered headboard for our master suite, and it was fairly simple once the dimensions and pieces and parts were gathered and cut. That is why I am fairly confident of remastering another headboard to pull off the custom versatility I’m looking for for this space.  Although I love the corner looks for the day bed, it isn’t practical for wanting to switch up the space.  So the bottom right look and style is probably what I will work to replicate for ours!

Hoping to share the finished product soon!

 

 

Image Sources: Top | Bottom Left | Bottom Right

Holiday Decor Inspiration

| The Bee Life

Every year I get an itch to completely redo all of our Christmas decorations, but then there is a part of me that just loves what we’ve created over these last few years and how we’ve made our home a cozy Christmas wonderland.  So I mix things up on a smaller scale, our outdoor space we’ve been doing different lighting variations and and the dining room is always my play space to create a magical setting.

So although I am not completely redoing our decor this year, I love to share future inspiration for holiday decor around the house… enjoy!
Holiday Decor Inspiration - the bee life
Classic. I love keeping decor classic with white lights and pops of color, you can’t beat the feel good sentiments of Christmas and a nice lush evergreen.

Pops of Color. This centerpiece is what dreams are made of and reminds me of the vintage ornaments I’ve found over the years from my grandma and at antique stores – pinks and blues and golds are so fun to play around with!

Simple. I hope one day I can work up to simple, right now it’s a complete flip of decorations in the house; picture frames are put away and the house is completely transformed with greens, lights, multiple trees, candles and ornaments.

What are your favorite things about decorating for Christmas? What theme or color palette are you dying to do?

 

 

Photo sources are linked above. 

Planning My Dream Living Room

| The Bee Life

My house is a constant work in progress. With my ever-so-changing ways, I’m always looking for new ideas to improve and fine tune each room using different color paints and pieces of furniture. For me, there is one room in particular that would require a larger makeover, our living room – mainly because of the layout. Don’t get me wrong, I love our current furniture, our century home built-in’s and calming color pallet. But you can always dream of better things!Living Room Inspiration - the bee lifeSources: Top Left || Top Right || Bottom Left || Bottom Right

When thinking of pulling my dream living room space together in our current house, I would first and foremost need a completely different floor plan.  Our living room is long and narrow, with two openings along the one side so it makes for limited layout options, so in order to have my dream living space, here are the 6-qualifiers that would help make my dream living room a reality;

  1. Flexible Layout: I love to rearrange furniture, so having options to move larger pieces into different spaces is key for me.  I would also love the option to be able to have multiple areas within the space, for example a more intimate/formal seating area behind the larger living space.
  2. Neutral Bases & Pops of Color: When designing a room I like to start with big, neutral pieces; like this amazing sectional I found on Arhaus (see below). These types of pieces are the perfect starting point to build from. From there I like adding in pops of color with accent pillows, rugs or lamps, because these can always be switched out!  My go-to colors are navy’s and white’s with hints pink or yellow to really highlight the neutrals.
  3. Comfy & Cozy: Since my fiance is 6’6″ finding a couch that is wide is important, this also makes for cozy family snuggles including the pup! To finish this feel, extra large and easy to grab blankets or pillows (you can never have too many pillows), in nearby baskets are a must.
  4. A Statement Piece: Like an awesome chair, a bold ottoman, or a show stopping mirror will help create a secondary focal point in the room.  This could also be accomplished by dressing up the fireplace/mantle area with those pops of color or bold accessories.
  5. Metallics & Texture:  Again, this is where the accessories come into play, whether it’s a fuzzy blanket or a fun metallic pillow, lamp, or picture frames, adding these different textures to the room creates depth and movement. And a little bit of glam.
  6. Family Photos: This is the finishing touch and a must in my book. Adding vintage and current family photos keeps loved ones close, while adding an element of history plus it’s a great conversation starter with guests. Pull this look off with a great symmetrical gallery wall or lined table or mantle filled with gold or silver frames.

Living Room Inspiration (2) - the bee lifeShop the Look: Arhaus Outerbanks Sectional, Faux Fur Throw, Arhaus Amelie Mirror, Target Deniz Side Table, Gold Frame 1, Gold Frame 2, Arhaus Velvet Pillow

My dream space would be traditional and classic, with a little bit of glam mixed in.  It would still be practical and livable, it would be inviting and cozy for friends and family to enjoy.  It would be big with lots of windows and a killer fireplace. My dream living room space would be a lot of things with killer unique and functional pieces.

Share your dream living room must-have’s in the comments below! Looking for more inspiration? Check out these other luxury living room selections from Arhaus for your dream living room!

American Flag Decor Inspiration

| The Bee Life

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!

In order to kick off the holiday weekend and the unofficial kickoff to summer, decorating with the American Flag is a great way to be festive from Memorial Day, to the 4th of July to Labor Day!  You can leave it up, and your set for the summer so you can travel, entertain, enjoy the warm weather and socialize with friends.  Here is some inspiration for an easy and classic way to feel festive all summer long;

I love decorating with an American Flag, the colors are bright and timeless. Get your house prepped with a statement piece inside or decorate and show off outside, or better yet, both!

Enjoy!

Sources: Top Right | Bottom Left | Bottom Right

Guest Bedroom – Reveal

| The Bee Life

It’s Friday! And I’m happy to share our latest and first little home makeover of the year, one of our guest bedrooms. The reason we did an impromptu makeover is because this room always felt like it was an after thought and just thrown together. It was a combination of my first apartment furniture; a dark brown book case and TV stand, and brown curtains – mainly because we had them so we made it work. The color of the room was yellow, we had kept it the same as when we moved in to keep it simple, but it was really bright! This is also the most used guest room, so it just made sense to give it more love.
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Instead of buying all new furniture, although I was tempted, we ended up, updating old pieces and buying a few new key pieces. We updated the book case and TV stand with some white spray paint and added some legs to the TV stand (B’s awesome idea) in order to raise it off the ground a bit.  And if your an avid Bee reader, the night stand might look a bit familiar – yes I redid it again, this time with some fun colors and new handles! I am a bit obsessed. We also painted up an old window and found a fun green wreath to create some rustic wall art.

New pieces include the curtains (LOVE!), the bedspread, the hanging light and the rug (which will probably be replaced again) and a few new picture frames and little accessories around the room. I am sure there will be some more accent pillows and blankets added to keep the space cozy and colorful.

I love the updates we’ve made, the wall color feels more calm and relaxing, and it’s fun to add some pops of color. I’ve always been a fan of color, but finally found a way to do it in a mature way and not childish. I also feel like the space feels so much bigger with the update of the white furniture. Can’t wait for some friends and family to enjoy the space this year! We will definitely be having a lot of guests ❤

Shout out to my little peanut for posing and being a good sport in all my pictures!

 

House Tour – Our Christmas

| The Bee Life

Eleven more days until Christmas! Our house is full decked out and ready for the holidays, it’s cozy and festive… I may be a bit biased, but I’m in love.

With this being the third Christmas at our house (wow!), I’ve definitely continued to perfect the finishing touches but also try a few new things! This year I took to Pinterest for some new ideas, specifically for our front door and dining room centerpiece. I looked for ideas that I could use preexisting pieces/decor but also be able to put my finishing touches on them!

Front Door: We amped up the front door to really make a statement, now that we have a full glass storm door, we can fully utilize all the real estate.  I’ve mentioned this many times, but your exterior of your home is the first impression guests receive, so why not make a statement?

My hack was to use wire to connect the three wreaths together, and then wrap the ribbon around to cover it up.  I probably spent $10 for the berries to add into the greens and the ribbon (sale at Joann’s!). I already had the wreaths, door hanger and wire.  I just hot glued the ribbon on the door hanger to make the ribbon look continuous! I love how the red pops on our blue door.
front-door_3front-door_1Dining Room Centerpiece: I wanted to switch up the centerpiece, since as much as I loved last year’s centerpiece it wasn’t conducive for entertaining with friends and family.  I often had to move it for space or take certain parts out of it.  I needed something a little more low maintenance, less intrusive and easy to move. I saw some inspiration on pinterest with a wooden box and since we found one when we first moved in (under our front porch of course), it was the perfect idea.  I used greens from the Christmas tree farm and just had to buy the candles. I added in some color and it’s completely portable if we need to move for a game night, dinner or cookie baking!
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dining-room_2I definitely got my “Martha Stewart” on and love the way these two spaces turned out! Everything I got too can be reused or altered next year – which would be my second hack for all of you is to think of DIY/Pinterest solutions that work multiple years, aren’t too trendy.

7 Insta’s to Get You Amped for Xmas

| The Bee Life

I get so excited every Christmas season once the stores start lining their shelves with decorations, greenery, ornaments and nutcrackers.  Social media is also a crutch to find the latest inspiration for my Christmas decor, new DIY’s, wrapping paper ideas, food, holiday dress… you name it.  So I wanted to share my favorite social accounts (since I am always sharing off Pinterest) to help you feel inspired or just get amped up for Christmas (and secretly envy their perfect trees and living rooms).

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@landeelu: Definitely feeling more festive on the inside too! Oh how I love the glow of a Christmas tree. Truly magical. #christmastree #christmaslights #christmasmagic
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@peabodyandsassafras: This week’s winner for our #create4theholidays challenge is this amazing black and white mantle by the ever talented and sweet @craftedsparrow! Make sure you’re playing along with us to be featured on all the host’s accounts next week.
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@dearlillie: Our den decorated for Christmas is up on the blog! (Link in profile). We’ve had most of these ornaments since our first married Christmas ten years ago. There’s a detailed source list on the blog along with lots of pictures and links to all the other bloggers we are joining for the #farmhouseholidayseries! – Jenni
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@memehillstudio: Well it’s looking a lot like Christmas inside and out! More of Chloe’s room and a big shout out to my niece @cralphy_5 for helping me out alllll day. Love you Char! Both chairs from @raymourflanigan, ornaments, rug, desk from @homegoods, striped panels from @overstock,tree from @walmart , ribbon and ornaments from @michaelsstores … more pics to come. Have a wonderful night friends and keep sharing #howyouholiday!
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@ourfifthhouse: Happy Friday friends! #fifthhouseholiday #oursixthhouse
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@diaryofdaveswife: The NOEL house has never looked better! 😉 We got all our exterior lights up today and I can’t tell you how much I am loving my new red door! I have a few more touches to put on the inside and we are officially ready for Christmas! 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 . . . #thenoelhouse #mesa #mesaarizona #az #instaaz #hillviewacres #daveswifeshouse #christmas #christmaslights #thatsdarling #abmhappylife #abmlifeissweet #abmlifeisbeautiful #abmathome #abmlifeiscolorful
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@theeverygirl_: 🎁 GIVEAWAY! 🎁 Win a $3,000 package to treat yoself to some much needed pre-holiday pampering this season. We’ve partnered with some of our favorite brands to cover everything from 💅🏼 to 🍷. Click the link in our profile to enter! || photo by @sarahkjp

What I love about social media is that you can find other people/accounts that share the same style as you, but also find different styles that inspire you.  I’ve got lots of ideas up my sleeves for our home and Christmas this year, but I am a firm believer that it’s always a work in progress, I would love to have a perfectly done house (like the ones above) over night, but I’m still finding my styles, my pieces, my likes and dislikes! Either way it will definitely feel like Christmas around our house.

Share your Christmas decor inspiration with me on instagram @mmariebee!

 XO –

Photos above link to instagram accounts featured on this blog post. 

Our Master Reveal

| The Bee Life

The time is finally here!! Our master bedroom reveal!

For those who didn’t follow along on my 8-months worth of updates throughout last year… It all started with our attic, even though it was a ‘finished’ space, it was poorly done.  It’s open feel, large bright windows, closet space and size made this an instant dream master retreat.  Since B is so tall, we ended up raising the ceiling 6-inches, but that basically became a complete gut job down to the studs. This wasn’t part of the original plan – but we ended up doing new electric, new insulation, new drywall, new blinds, closet doors, new everything – and B did 97.9% of it! This was definitely our biggest house project to date.

So without further ado here is our awesome master retreat including the seating area and my two closets, yes two, one for clothes, one for accessories. *grins* We’ve tried to DIY and make as much as possible, including the headboard, curtain rods, barn door, DIY night stands and reading table, painted and redid the dresser and shopped smart for other accessories but splurged on a few items like the fireplace, rugs and our chairs.

master-reveal-the-bee-life-10master-reveal-the-bee-life-6The black frames next to the bed hold the love letter B wrote and proposed to me with. It’s the perfect addition to the room and show casing that instead of hiding it in a box somewhere. We also tried to keep some of the original wood work, especially on the stair railing coming up, but opened it to give an open feel.

I had full intentions of sharing the closet space with B, but he insisted I use both of the closets upstairs (don’t worry he has two-closets on the second floor). So I kindly thanked him and told him he was creating a monster and then proceeded to work on creating my dream <organized> closets.

We would both be lying if we didn’t say we were proud of the way this turned out. It was everything we imagined and more and I love having our own little getaway from the rest of the house and world (Moz really loves it too!)

Go Us!