Barndominium Lighting 

{This post contains sponsored links. The items featured and linked in this post were all provided by Kichler Lighting ; I could receive a small commission if you purchase from one of my links; all opinions and reviews are my own.}

Home Lighting 

Lighting is an essential component to a successful design palate. When designing your barndominium, lighting can be used as a design focal point.

I believe if thoughtfully placed, lighting will transform interior rooms and exterior spaces of your barndominium home. I like to think of lighting as a starting point for design, rather than being left until a last thought.

Our Kichler Pier 1 Outdoor Wall Light is the perfect mix of vintage industrial, which blends well with our design of our barndo.

The Pier 1 Outdoor Wall Light has a bright white interior and black matte caged design. The cage is removable. This light provides ambient lighting, which provides an overall illumination to the space. It is perfect for a patio, porch or entryway! 

Industrial Lighting 

What is Industrial?

“Industrial has been transforming over the past few years into a more detailed and refined, aesthetic characterized by more sophisticated finishes. With fine detailed and polished surfaces that owe as much to fine furniture and high end jewelry as they do factories and industry” 
– Greg Martin, Kichler Lighting Creative Director

What Components Make Up Industrial Lighting?

Traditionally, these lights are made of dark-toned steel and wood that are unfinished or distressed. Features can  include clean lines with exposed bulbs, metal and wire cages mixes old world charm.

How to Mix Finishes, Materials and Lighting

By incorporating different finishes and textures, you can create a warmth and cozy feel to your home. Styles do not need to be matchy in order to open the doors of design. Simply by adding just the right amount of finishes and textures, you can successfully mix modern farmhouse with rustic and refined lighting.

Take for example our master bedroom lighting of choice. We choose to go with Kichler’s Cavelli Ceiling Fan in black matte for an industrial look.

The Cavelli Ceiling Fan makes a statement in our master bedroom. I love the vintage industrial, two-tone finish. A unique ceiling fan with gorgeous  fixture design on the outside with the benefit of a ceiling fan on the inside.

Cavelli is a great size for smaller spaces like our bedroom, reading nooks or gallery kitchens. It can be used for multiple installations in larger living and entertaining areas.

In barndominium design, most often you’ll see the living space, dining area and kitchen connected. It’s important in this type of floor plan to be consistent across all rooms. This doesn’t mean all finishes or styles have to match, it just means the overall flow of all three rooms should flow well together.

So yes, you can choose black matte, gold matte and glass finishes together! Want to go bold with your ceiling lighting? You can with larger spaces, as they can take more daring pieces but don’t shy away from unconventional lighting in smaller spaces!

Kichler’s Gimbal Direct to Ceiling lighting was our choice for our living room. The LED Downlight is designed to provide a 360-degree adjustable light source with a 30-degree tilt, for directional lighting to highlight architecture, walls and artwork. Easy snap-in clips for quick and easy installation!! 


With that, I hope you have enjoyed stopping by! We sure have enjoyed y’all’s visit! As always, if y’all have any questions, please feel free to reach out here or on IG through DM!

 

Barndominium Kitchen Reveal

Barndominium Kitchen Reveal

{This post contains sponsored links. The items featured and linked in this post were all provided by Pfister, Hickory Hardware, DIY Cartel , Zline, Concrete Countertop Solutions ZForm , Select Flooring, Vintage Tub and Bath, Urbandi and Kira Home Lighting; I could receive a small commission if you purchase from one of my links; all opinions and reviews are my own.}

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BARNDOMINIUM KITCHENS 

Ahhhh, barndominium kitchens!! The ideal blend of rustic charm and modern farmhouse.

You will most often see features like exposed beams and barn doors, that just evokes, a sense of history and nostalgia.

A barndominium kitchen typically feature all of the amenities of a modern kitchen, including high end appliances and stone countertops, with an open design plan.

{Full sources available at the bottom of the page.}

Are you in the process of designing a barndominium and are unsure of how to design the kitchen? It can be so overwhelming with all the different choices to make; from tile selections to cabinetry to countertops or fixtures! Let us take you through the process and we will share what we’ve learned during the build of our barndominium kitchen.

DESIGNING WITH WOOD FINISHES

A kitchen will be one of the most important spaces in your home and it will also be the biggest expense. Will your kitchen be a place for cooking and entertaining, or will it be more of a private space for family meals?

You will also want to consider the layout of the room and how you can best utilize the space. Think of how each nook and cranny can be utilized in your space. Functionality is your best friend when you’re designing your barndominium kitchen.

CHOOSING FINISHES 

One popular kitchen design trend is to use wood in your home! Try adding wood as decor or add wood for countertops, open shelving and feature walls. This gives your kitchen an rustic feel.

Another way to add interest to your barndominium kitchen is with the mixing of finishes. For example, in the above photo, I have the color Champagne Bronze for the cabinet hardware, mixing it with black matte metal for our light fixture. Paint is an excellent way to add color to the walls, in a light, neutral shade and then use accent colors to add pops of brightness. Painted cabinets are also a great choice for pops of color! Try wallpapering, a wall, for an accent pop wall! And don’t forget about lighting – pendant lights are a amazing way to bring some personality into the space.

APPLIANCES AND FIXTURES

When it comes to choosing the right appliances and fixtures for your barndominium kitchen, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. The first is the size of the space. You will want to make sure that you choose appliances and fixtures that are the right size for the room. Secondly, consider the style of your home. You will want to make sure that the appliances and fixtures you choose, coordinate with the overall style of the house; especially if your floor plan is open, as most barndo’s are designed with open floor plan in mind.

CABINETS

When choosing cabinets for your barndominium kitchen, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, like your kitchen, think about the overall style of the space & style of your home. Are you going for a rustic look or modern? Second, consider the function of the kitchen and what it will be primarily used for: cooking or entertaining? Lastly, the budget. There are thousands of different materials and finishes to choose from, so it’s important to find something that fits both your style and your budget.

BARNDOMINIUM KITCHEN REVEAL

Well, you can not have a reveal without a few before photos, right?

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In the photo above, we are adding insulation to our kitchen walls.

In the photo above, we added our first piece of sheet rock to the kitchen! We were so excited about every step we would make while self-building! It has given us such a greater appreciation for what we have.

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In the photo above, we added our countertop base.

The photo above is the concrete frame for the white concrete countertops.

The photo above shows were we began the first white concrete countertop. You can read about how we DIY-ed our white concrete countertops, here and watch the reel on IG here.

Next was the wood herringbone pattern backsplash. I was so excited about my idea to add the wood shiplap in a herringbone pattern!! My husband did a fantastic job executing my idea! This is where I really began seeing my vision come to life and I was so excited!!! After all, we had been dreaming, designing and planning for a year and a half at this point!

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Adding the open shelving. We DIY-ed half of these and the other half was a collaboration with Urbandi. You can check out that reel here, on IG.

Adding the cabinets and drawers to the kitchen!

We built all of the cabinets and drawers from pine. I chose the color Dark Kettle Black by Sherwin Williams, which was color matched from Benjamin Moore.

Adding cabinet hardware and trim to the kitchen.

Last, but certainly not least, flooring!

Originally, we had planned to have concrete floors but the sealer we used wasn’t the correct one and it basically came off. Our feet were not happy, from walking on the concrete floors, during the day. I also was thinking of safety for grand babies, so we decided to go ahead with the same flooring that we used upstairs in our loft. You can check out that blog, here or the reel on IG.

One other space to think about in your kitchen is a pantry or food storage space. We chose to use the underneath part of our stairs and make a pantry to enclose under the stairs. You can check out the products we used here.

FINAL THOUGHTS 

We designed our barndominium kitchen to maximize the functionality of our kitchen, without compromising the style we love. We also chose finishes that would reflect farmhouse design. Barndominium kitchens encompass a wide range of different themes and styles. From open space and minimalistic to modern designs, the kitchen style reflects that of the homeowners. Our kitchen prioritizes functionality without comprising an aesthetic look. There are a number of storage solutions you can easily install into your own kitchen to maximize space while enjoying your barndominium kitchen! We feel extremely grateful to have a finished space! Living in our camper for almost a year, as we have self-built, then living in our unfinished home, has been a gift. Thank you for taking the time to invest in our family. If y’all have any questions, please feel free to reach out here, email or IG!

List of products we used during our kitchen build:

Montay Faucet in from Pfister. The Montay is a one hole installation with Advanced Pforever Seal technology to prevent leaking. Montay hits the spot. A home run, hit it outta the park type. Actually, it hits all the right spots. Sleek and statuesque with just a taste of raw-edged industrial design, it flows seamlessly with our barndominium kitchen. In our 25 years of marriage, hands down, Pfister Faucets are the way to go! We have used every faucet brand out there and we always keep coming back to Pfister. Pfister and I would love for you to be apart of the Pfister family! A company that stands behind all of their products.

Lita Pot Filler is also from Pfister in Brushed Gold. Pforever Seal™ features an advanced ceramic disc valve technology with a never-leak guarantee! Lita’s simplicity and elegance in an effortlessly sleek design. Lita features 2 swivel points, with extended reach, across the counter and stovetop. An additional lever at the nozzle offers added convenience so you can control water flow at the tip of your fingers. If you have ever relished in the idea of a pot filler, get one! I love having the convenience of a pot filler on those busy nights with your family!

Zline Appliances (Stove, Oven & Microwave) you can read that blog with links, here.

Our cabinet hardware is from Hickory Hardware. We chose their 5 inch and 12 inch Forge Cabinet Pulls in Champagne Bronze that give off that farmhouse chic design-the jewelry to your kitchen cabinets! I love that Hickory Hardware has been DESIGNED IN THE USA SINCE 1893!

The gold pendant lighting is from Kira Lighting and the black lighting is from Amazon.

How to Bring Character to Your Home with Modern Rustic Hardware

{“This blog post contains sponsored content. It reflects my personal views and opinions on the products.”}

I am always looking for ways to character to my home. What about you? Hardware is one way to add character to your home and instantly elevate your space! Today, I want to take you through our self-built barndominium (completion date is Dec 2023) and share how we have upgraded our hardware with Ageless Iron. (Front porch and side porch (3) completion date is spring 2024.)

Come on in! Let me share, how these modern, rustic door handles complete our doors and give off a, polished look, in our barndominium.

Your Home’s Style 

Unsure of how to start choosing out your hardware? Just think about your home’s style and look for options that compliment that style. Our double front doors are more of a traditional look but, I knew I wanted to achieve a more modern, rustic look with Ageless Iron’s Keep Long Plate Entry Set with Lance Lever.

I wanted hardware that blends with modern, rustic farmhouse. I fell in love with it’s hand finished iron that reflects it’s unique surface texture. I believe that with the hardware’s sophisticated black color, will remain timeless, season after season. Our hope is that our Great-Grandchildren will be turning the handle on that door someday!

The knob is an oval shape which I find, oh,so timeless. All of these characters work well in our barndo interior details, making a seemless flow, artistically throughout our home.

Mix or Match

I need to admit, I stayed on the “Match” trail for quite some time. Ask my older two (adult) children! It was the nostalgia folks!

These days, I say, “Mix”, to an extent. While I am drawn to keeping things consistent, in this house, I have really enjoyed seeing my artistic abilities come to life!

I chose the Black Iron Barn Door Grip for passages with our barn doors, like our Pantry Door and our Laundry Room Door.


Mixing Finishes 

While the finishes on all door hardware is black, I did choose to mix finishes, such as gold, with other accessories in our home, like lighting or bathroom finishes. In my opinion, I think it is nice to keep door hardware finishes consistent so the home feels cohesive.

Below is the Black Iron Barn Door Pull.


In the photo below, you will find the Black Iron Barn Door Flush Pull.

Thanks For Stopping By

I am so glad you stopped by and I hope you enjoyed seeing our new hardware from Ageless Iron. They have many different styles that you can shop on the site, here.

If you don’t already follow me on social media, follow the links and subscribe so that you don’t miss any upcoming posts!

DIY Barndominium Dollhouse

{“This blog post contains paid and sponsored content. It reflects my personal views and opinions on the products.”}

Only Time Will Tell

If you follow us on IG stories, you have probably already caught a glimpse of our finished barndominium dollhouse! And if you know us well enough, we take awhile to finish a project like this one. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I can say our longevity in this project is partly because we are still building our barndominium. Without further ado, we are so excited to share our DIY Barbie Barndominium Doll House!!

Back Story

The photo below is circa Christmas 2014. Baby number 4 was on the way and you can see a peek of the pink kitchen on your right of the photo.

Back in 2012, we designed and built this kitchen set for our number 3 daughter for Christmas.

The photo below is circa 2015.

It has been carried down to her little sister and it has also been a favorite of all of our nieces, growing up!

The photo above is after I chalk painted the kitchen set and matching table/chairs. This is circa 2018.

A Gift From Our Hearts

I’ve learned that over the years, it has been really meaningful for us, as parents, to spend time, planning and working on a gift for our children. Something that comes from our hearts.

So…the idea came to mind, to turn our daughters kitchen set, along with the matching table/chairs set, into a Barbie Barndominium Doll House!! And best of all?! It was going to look just like our barndominium that we’ve self-built! I was so excited that I was like a kid in a candy shop! I couldn’t wait to see the whole thing come together!

The photo below is Christmas 2021. We had just moved into the barndo! It looks a lot different now!

Over the last couple of years, our youngest daughter has loved Barbie dolls. We first gave her, our oldest three daughter’s Barbie dolls. She enjoyed playing with them so much that she began collecting Barbie’s of her own! I am so grateful it was a family effort!

Doll House Sketch

This is my first drawing of the dollhouse. As we built it, it became slightly different!

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The first step was to design the basic build of the dollhouse. I spent a long time searching all the different blogs of how to diy a dollhouse. I chose to do a simple, 4-foot tall house with six rooms and a loft bedroom.

Dissembling Kitchen Set

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The next step to disassemble the kitchen set carefully, so we could repurpose the wood for the dollhouse!

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Design Time

Next, I began designing and decorating each room. We wanted to keep everything similar to the interior of our barndominium.

Below is the dollhouse during the painting process. Circa January 2022.

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After painting a base coat of white, on the inside and outside, it was time to start on the first room! I thought it would be best to start with the hardest room first-the kitchen feature wall, first on the list. Circa March 2022.

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As I began designing and decorating each room, I knew we wanted to keep everything similar to the interior of our barndominium.

Kitchen

My oldest (adult) daughter was kind enough to add the herringbone shiplap, in the kitchen, for the backsplash! She did a remarkable job!! Thank you baby! It looks just like the one in our house!

Below is when Wes and I had just finished the feature wall in our kitchen, here in the barndo! Circa Fall 2021.


The photo below is a current photo of our barndo kitchen! Circa August 2023.

We used popsicle sticks and cut off the round edges for the wood feature wall. You can check out that blog of how to diy here.

Next, my oldest daughter began working on the lower kitchen cabinets. She used thin sheets of craft wood from Hobby Lobby, that she cut with a knife. She even made an oven, stove top, farmhouse sink and fridge! Painted it all with leftover house paint! I did buy gold craft paint to use, as well.

Master Bedroom 

Next, I began working on the master bedroom wood geometric feature wall! First, I made a “boho” wall hanging, just like the one in our master bedroom!

It was super simple to use balsa wood! Easy to cut and I glued on with wood glue! Painted with left overpaint from the master bedroom.

The bed is from Mountain Grove Timber. It comes unfinished and easy to assemble. I spray painted ours black, to match ours in our master retreat.

Loft

For the upstairs “loft” bedroom, I added a feature wall with leftover wallpaper from the girls room. The doll beds are repurposed from left over wood & mirror are from Melinda Lundberg’s shop, Mountain Grove Timber. She has so many beautiful wood pieces in her shop! The rug is a piece of fabric that I bought from Hobby Lobby. I made all of the bedding, mattress and pillows from a piece of fabric from Hobby Lobby. I also used drop cloth fabric for some of the bedding, curtains, pillow, sofa slip cover and table runner. I bought a piece of foam from Hobby Lobby and cut pillows and mattresses with it.

Living Room

I asked my husband to make a L-shaped sofa like ours from scrap wood.

I made all of the cushions, slip covers and pillows from drop cloth fabric, sponges and furniture foam.


The ceiling in the living room is made to match the ceiling in our living room from Barnwood USA. They carry reclaimed barn wood products! We had a couple left over pieces, so I cut them, then hot glued, to the doll house living room ceiling. I made the ceiling fan from a craft paint top and popscycle sticks then used hot glue to stick all of it together. Hot glued straight to the ceiling, to “hang”!

Bathroom

For the bathroom, I kept it simple, for now. I found the toilet from the Dollar Tree. I found the signs and blanket ladder from Hobby Lobby, at Christmas-time. I made the curtains from drop cloth, twine and barn wood by hot glueing in all the right places.

We built a vanity from balsa wood from Hobby Lobby, then I hot glued everything together, then stained! We added a cut piece of a plumbing pipe, for now, as the sink. The mirror is from Mountain Grove Timber. It came unfinished and I spray painted it black!

I bought the tub from Target. The tub came as a Barbie Doll set.

Laundry Room

I asked my husband to cut me a couple pieces of 2×4’s to Barbie sized washer and dryer. I added “doors” with a cut small piece of barn wood then painted everything to match our Speed Queens! I found the vintage doll laundry items while antiquing with three of my daughters in Waco, TX at Cameron’s Trading. It makes a wonderful addition, if your headed to Magnolia. You can read all about that blog, here.

Dining Room 

I asked my husband to cut a dining room table from a piece of extra wood that I had leftover from Mountain Grove Timber. I used small pieces of scrap wood for the table legs. I painted and stained the pieces then hot glued together. I found the chairs from Hobby Lobby but took out the legs and added my own balsa wood legs. Gave them a quick, spray paint in black! I printed a photo of all four of our girls and made a “frame” from the left over barn wood and “hung” with twine and a mini nail. It looks just like the photo in our dining room! You can peep my IG for all the photos! I even added a barndominium “beam” in our dining room and kitchen area of the doll house.

Exterior Siding, Roof and Windows

The “siding” is just this wood from Home Depot. I nailed these pieces into the doll house.

The roof “shingles” are just these pieces of wood from Amazon. The windows are also made from this wood. I painted the exterior with leftover paint from the build, here in our barndo.

Conclusion 

I really enjoyed being able to repurpose and create a doll house, with the kitchen set and table/chairs set that we built over ten years ago! I want to thank my daughters for all of their help in creating this doll house and making all of our Barbie dreams, come to life! We hope that our family will get use out of this doll house for years to come! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out! You can find all of my videos under my highlights tab on IG! You will find out how we transformed this kitchen set into the first ever, Barbie Barndo!

Spring DIY Blog Hop

Spring DIY Blog Hop

Today I’m hosting a Spring Blog Hop with five other bloggers. We can’t wait to share our spring DIY’s with y’all!

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My mom gave me the cutest set of vintage bunny salt and pepper shakers! I believe they were my Mom-Maw’s. I think that the red colored top, stands out, to much for my decor taste, so I decided to paint the pepper shaker’s top to match the color of the salt shaker’s top.

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I started out by painting the top white. I just used some left over SW paint in Eider White. I painted two coats.

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Next I decided to add a light coat of wood filler that I had on hand from the hardware store.

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Next, I decided to use a Semi Transparent Minwax Stain in Red Oak on the white paint, while it was still wet.

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I thought the color needed more of a yellow tone instead of a brown tone, so I added Outrageously Orange craft paint.

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I ended up sort of mixing the paint colors and stain together to make the color, while sanding in between coats for an aged look.

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Here is the final result! I think I got pretty close to the color of the salt shaker’s top! Now my Vintage Bunny Salt and Pepper Shakers are ready to be apart of my spring decor!

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Head on over and checkout the other sweet bloggers to see what they’ve come up with for their Spring DIY’s!

Terrie from Decorating & More with Tip

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Gail from Purple Hues and Me

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Denise from Hoots Hack

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Tammy from Patina and Paint

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Hannah from Baggott Farmhouse

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I hope y’all have enjoyed our Spring DIY Hop! I can’t wait to check out all of the beautiful spring DIY’s!

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A Simple Christmas Table

{“This blog post is sponsored by Inox Artisans. It reflects my personal views and opinions on the products.”}

I will be hosting Christmas dinner this year, so I thought it’d be fun to share “A Simple Christmas Table”! Keeping along the lines of simplicity this year!

Creating a Christmas table doesn’t have to be hard! I started off with this beautiful flatware from Inox Artisians. It is the Jason Flatware in their 5 Piece Place Setting.

This industrial style, showcases raw organic handles contrasts by smooth, mirror-polished utensils. This silverware can go from a dinner hosted for family and friends, which we did at Thanksgiving, to everyday wear! I love it!

I added Inox Artisians Cambria Wood Dessert Stand for height and dimension. I used it to hold my casserole dish on and you could you use for a cake stand or any desserts too! Y’all, it’s under $35!!!

Don’t forget your Jason Salad Serving 2 Piece Set and your Jason Cake Serving 2 Piece Set. Industrial, hand-forged organic look, flows seamlessly with your Jason Flatware! These are essential when hosting family and friends! Budget friendly at under $40!!! These pieces are very well made!!

I also added my classic white plates and napkins! Don’t forget your cypress clipping, from your backyard, to add color with greenery! You could use any evergreen-like pine or even magnolia leaves! I hope you have enjoyed my Simple Christmas Table! Please check out my reel on IG of my Simple Christmas Table with Inox Artisans!

DIY Baking Soda Paint Ornaments

Today, I’m hosting a fun DIY Ornament Challenge! Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers, at the end of my blog!!

DIY Christmas Ornaments have commenced! It is something I look forward to every year and I think I may just make this an annual Christmas tradition on my blog!

Over the years, I have made DIY ornaments, almost every Christmas! Sharing my first DIY ornament below as a child and also sharing my DIY ornaments that I’ve made throughout the years with all four of my daughters.

I think my love of diy actually started with my mom. I always remember opening her linen closet and just looking at all of her DIY craft supplies! One year for my birthday, I had a few friends over and we made DIY stained glass ornaments. Still hang those two ornaments on my tree, every year.

I started making ornaments to be frugal in the first years of our marriage. I enjoyed it so much, I continued almost every year, for the past 25 Christmases!

This year, I decided that my youngest two daughter’s Christmas tree ornaments needed to coordinate with their room more, so…I decided to test a couple ornaments with my diy baking soda paint!

I started off with some vintage ornaments that I purchased from my friend, Sarah, who owns a small shop, Sweet Cards Shop.

I decided to use Sherwin Williams Orchid to paint on the ornaments as the base coat.

Next, while the ornament was still wet, I added baking soda, sprinkling it on and kind of tapping the paint brush around with the baking soda. If the bright pink started showing through, I just dabbed on a bit more paint! If it doesn’t look good, just wipe it off and try again!

Next, I used some leftover gold craft paint, that I had left over from our Barndominium Dollhouse, to paint the ornament cap.

Hang with a vintage ribbon like me or a velvet ribbon would be pretty too! So simple and fun to add to your Christmas tree this year! Customize your color, based on the colors you are using for Christmas this year! I bet you have left over paint that you can use too! I chose this color because I wanted it to coordinate with their room!

I hope y’all enjoyed our DIY Ornament Challenge this year! Please check out my blogging friends to see the Christmas ornaments they have created to share with y’all!

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Gail from Purple Hues and Me

Jemma from At Home with Jemma

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Denise from Hootshack

Creative Ways to Gift Wrap for Christmas

{“This blog post is sponsored by Charleston Wrap. It reflects my personal views and opinions on the products.”}

Today, I am hosting, Creative Ways to Gift Wrap, along with three other bloggers! Creative holiday gift wrap is a great way to add your own personal touch to show the recipient that you care!

My gift wrap of choice is brown craft paper, along with Charleston Wrap!

I am going to start with the brown craft paper. I actually have used brown craft paper, off and on over the years. When my oldest two were younger (now they are both married) and I was trying to find a more frugal way to gift wrap, I remember finding brown craft paper, at a craft store, in a huge roll!

This year, I am loving a more simplified home and the brown craft paper is perfect for simple! I love adding natural elements to my gift wrap, like dried oranges, greenery and jute! It’s also fun to add candy canes for the kids & handmade gift tags.

I decided to add red ribbon to the brown craft paper, along with some tree clippings of a cypress tree from our yard.

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I decided reached out to the most beautiful gift wrapping shop, Charleston Wrap. I received so many beautiful wrapping papers and they even have personalized gift wrap and tags!! Don’t forget your ribbon because they’ve got you covered!

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I got the cutest personalized wrap for our grandbaby, that says “Love, Poppie & MeMe”, along with several others! I paired their wrapping paper with several of their grosgrain ribbons which compliments the gift wrap, beautifully. We are gifting one follower on IG, a chance to win $100 from Charleston Wrap. Check it out HERE.

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I hope I have inspired y’all for the upcoming Christmas season! Head on over and check out the other bloggers to see what they’ve come up with to Creative Ways to Gift Wrap for Christmas!

At Home With Jemma

Purple Hues and Me

Baggott Farmhouse

5 Smoky Mountains Tips While Visiting Pigeon Forge, TN

{“This blog post is sponsored by Sawyers Farmhouse Breakfast, Three Bears General Store, The Pigeon Forge Gem Mine & The Old Gris Mill Restaurant. It reflects my personal views and opinions on the products.”}

We just got back from our Smoky Mountains trip and since moving to the beach, we needed a good ‘ole dose of fall foliage with fresh mountain air!

Must Do’s while in the Smoky Mountains

1. Grab an RV spot in the mountains! The place we stayed was absolutely amazing. Highly recommended!

It was one of our favorite parts because of the amazing fall foliage and it was super clean with wonderful access to hot heated showers, laundry facility and a dog park! This is the link!

2. Explore nature and take some hikes! In the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area, we hiked Clingmans Dome (moderate) and Grotto Falls (more moderate).

We loved them both! NOTE: Both have steep climbing!

3. Take a drive through Cade’s Cove and visit several old church’s and log cabins.

You can see wild life like deer, bears and other turkeys!

4. As for more touristy things, there are a TON of options for you in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

One of the spots we visited that I visited as a child was The Old Mill. It’s a gris mill, turned restaurant! Check out our REEL on IG!

 

They even have a Pottery Shop next door, along with a General Store! We went for dinner and the food was yummy and I fell in love with all of the pottery! Check out my REEL on IG to see which pieces we came home with!

5. We also took a half day and spend it at a more touristy spot but we had a blast! You can see our reels for the Pigeon Forge Gem Mine, 3 Bears General Store and Sawyers Farmhouse Breakfast on IG!

We started off the day with breakfast at Sawyers Farmhouse Restaurant, then headed over to the Pigeon Forge Gem Mine, where we mined for minerals and rocks! You can even have jewelry created from the minerals you find! My younger two girls both had pieces of jewelry created for them! It does take 4-6 weeks for the jewelry to come in, so I’ll need to update the post when we receive our jewelry!

We also visited the Three Bears General Store where they have live bears that you can see and feed! Very budget friendly at $4 and then $2 for food! The Three Bears General Store was amazing! They have anything you could think of to buy, like name brands, such as Sinply Southern and Pandora, along with an arcade that we all loved!! The Three Bears General Store also has candy apples, fudge and ice cream! We decided to treat ourselves to ice cream at the end of our visit! Such a great place to spend time with those you love!

A Few Other Tips For Your Smoky Mountain Vacation

1. Be adventurous! Go hiking, check out the beautiful fall foliage. Try something new!

2. Bring a hiking backpack with a first aid kit, water, cliff bars, snacks, phone  charger and a flashlight. It will be much needed! 

3. Be safe! Don’t forget the time zones are sometimes different than we live. It is fall, so it’s getting darker later now.

Cades Cove is a beautiful place!

The Smoky Mountains was showing its majestic colors of the season! The weather was perfect and the mountain air was glorious! Hoping this was helpful! I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip to The Smoky Mountains!

Barndominium DIY Flooring

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{“This blog post is sponsored by Select Surfaces and reflects my personal views and opinions on the products.”}

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Flooring is the largest scale of surface in your home and picking the best type of flooring for your space depends on your budget, lifestyle and personal preference.

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When we decided to self-build our barndominimum, we knew we wanted a quality flooring that could withstand the test of time! We loved the look of wood and wanted a product that was durable-with kids, pets and everyday life messes!  

There are so many choices when it comes to flooring: concrete, ceramic tile, hardwood, vinyl, engineered wood, laminate and more!

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When we saw the Spill Defense Collection of flooring from Select Surfaces, at Sam’s Club, we were sold! The laminate planks in the Spill Defense Collection have a tighter seal, than regular laminates, making it spill resistant for up to 24 hours!! Perfect for families with kids and pets! The laminate planks also are low VOC’s and responsibly sourced from certified forests. REENGUARD Gold Certified to ensure healthy indoor air quality  Perfect for our family! We try to live as chemical free as we can!

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The color choices are all beautiful which means there is something for everyone’s style! Our whole family fell in love with the Barnwood color!! Barnwood is a medium-toned wood color, with natural looking shade variations for an authentic barnwood look. Each plank also has natural looking texture and realistic saw marks that further lend to the authentic barnwood look. Everyone that visits our home, loves the flooring and asks if its real barn wood!

Before

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Before installing, we checked out the installation guide which is available on the Select Surface website Installation is SUPER easy!

 

Each plank comes with the foam backer attached- which means one less thing to install! Select Surface Flooring has an easy to install Speedloc system- no special tools needed to install it.

Just line up the tongue and groove portions and click, jiggle-wiggle into place. All you need to do is make cuts as needed to fit your space.

During

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For the installation in our barndominium, we followed the steps below.

  • • Cleaned sub-flooring .
  • • Added baseboards .
  • • Painted & caulked baseboards.
  • • Install flooring per manufacturer’s instructions.
  • •Installed transition strips.

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After

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The Spill Defense Collection is easy, breezy to clean too! You can use a Norwex mop or a vacuum with a soft bristle brush attachment or a broom!

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Select Surfaces has beautiful flooring with a warranty to stand behind their product! The Spill Defense Collection comes with a limited lifetime warranty for residential use.

It’s designed to resist fading from sunlight and UV rays. It also will resist moisture for up to 24 hours and is designed to not stain or wear through. The seams are also designed to not unlock under normal use conditions. I was surprised at how hard it is to scratch the flooring so it’s super durable for our family!

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If you’ve been wanting to update your flooring in your home and are looking for a durable, spill resistant, easy to install flooring, be sure to check out the beautiful selection from Select Surfaces Flooring! Available at your local Sam’s Club!

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As always, if y’all have any questions , please reach out! Come follow me on Instagram! We are self building and diy-ing on the daily!

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