Yay for more house renovation posts! Hopefully ya'll aren't getting sick of me trying to channel my inner Joanna Gaines. ;) But when we saw this house on the market, we knew it was a PERFECT way for us to experiment and renovate a house to be FUN and up and coming.

We started renovating this September Place house at the beginning of June. 7 weeks later, we're wrapping up and listing this beauty for sale. It was such a FUN project, with lots of long nights. But we are over-the-moon happy with the end result. We love our little beach-side town, but it's safe to say that the houses lack in a certain....ahem....trendiness. They tend to be a mixture of yellow stucco, yellow beige tile, and early 2000s kitchens. It's been Ryan and my goal for a long time to bring some FUN to the houses of our great town. There are so many people with different styles here and we want the homes to reflect 2019. So this one is definitely one of a kind!

So here's 16 September Place. A 1600+ sqf home in Seminole Woods, just about 10 minutes to our beautiful beach. It's a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom full of natural light. It's got a large kitchen, a 9 foot island, white granite, shiplap on shiplap, new appliances, a private backyard, and a few POPs of color here and there. (which we hope you like). We imagine that if we were moving into our town, this would be our next house....that's how much we love it. We hope another fun family loves it too! (info on paint colors + fun things at the end)

If you're interested in snatching our September baby up....click on the listing link here.
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Book Nook + Bathroom Paint: Dark Harbor by Benjamin Moore
Shiplap + Trim Paint: Pure White by Sherwin Williams
Exterior Door: Decisive Yellow by Sherwin Williams
Exterior Paint: Chelsea Gray by Sherwin Williams
All other room paint (even the seemingly green-ish kitchen :): Repose Gray
Floors: Pergo Max Wheaton Oak
Bathroom Floors: Fun tile from lowes!
Shiplap: Made out of plywood by us!
Staging: Basically just the contents of my actual home brought over. ;)

Let me know if you have any specific questions about materials in the comments + and I'll try my best to reply!

We had SO much fun taking a mini trip to Hawaii this January. It was super spontaneous (we booked it two weeks before) and was a trip to rest and spend time together just as a family. 

But it honestly was one of our most favorite places we've EVER been. We're already talking about when we can go back. And if you know me, you know I am a heat and humidity girl through and through. So I was in HEAVEN.

                        If you’re here for my FREE Oahu Hawaii Guide, click here.

Flying with Amelia was pretty good on the way there. She is getting to the active stage, so lots of toys and snacks helped!

When we landed, we immediately picked up our Turo rental jeep. We love Turo, because it's basically Airbnb for cars and the owners generally just meet you right outside the terminal and hand you the keys. We cruised into Honolulu and then right up over to the north side of the island, where we stayed on the North Shore. 

We stayed in a little studio apartment RIGHT on the ocean. It was so dreamy, full of windows all around and a big bed with a romantic white canopy. And the bathroom and shampoos and conditioner were AMAZING. Obv, that ranks very high on my list. (To find the Airbnb we used, check out my Hawaii Travel Guide here)

I immediately went down to the beach, because I have been itching to swim so bad! It was a little windy that day, but my goodness the beach was beautiful. 

The next day, we decided to wander around the town of Haleiwa and get acai bowls. It was a little rainy...island life....we are very familiar with this kind of weather. So un-discouraged, we grabbed our suits and drove around the island, looking for a place where the clouds parted. We finally found it on this dreamy beach with lagoon water. 

We enjoyed a WHOLE lot more acai bowls, smoothie bowls, and fruit. I am pretty sure my tastebuds are burned off from all the pineapple I ate, but hey, it was worth it.

One of our most FAVORITE stops was at Ka'ena Point, where we hiked around for a bit. It had the most EPIC views, some pretty legit mud that swallowed up my tennies, and a cameo from some the sets on the show Lost. It was a fairly easy hike with Amelia, but if it has rained, bring waterproof shoes!

​After the North Shore, we headed over to the other side of the island to stay in Kaneohe. We love getting to see a variance of places, so we always stay in as many spots as we can! We stayed in this adorable little resort with views of the bay area and yummy breakfast in the morning. 

Highlights of this area were the cool botanical gardens, hiking around where Jurassic Park was filmed, and attending church on Sunday and meeting some instagram followers!

In the middle part of our trip, we were so blessed to have our friend Lindsey Roman let us stay with her. She is THE COOLEST. Her house was so rad and we posed for a mentorship session she was doing while there. (Check out a couple of her amazing photos below and go follow her!)

​And we ended the trip in Waikiki. Of course! We had to try it out in all its tourist glory.
We did a lot of fun stuff here....visited the most amazing donut shop, tried to hike a waterfall, and went to Diamond Head. (More details in my travel guide)

It was crazy and busy and a fun way to end the last day and night. Watching the sun go down with a hundred thousand people felt very community oriented (and also very weird). lol.

I would go back in A HEARTBEAT. But I'd love to visit Kauai too. How about you? Do you have any suggestions on where in Hawaii we should visit next?

​I have been an avid thrifter for as long as I can remember. Rummaging through miles and miles of used clothes was one of the best skills my mom taught me....and I've saved so much money re-using clothes and furniture through the years. I also love that it is more sustainable, and I donate all of my clothes when I'm done using them so another happy thrifter can benefit from them.

Over the years, I've been asked, "how do you find cute stuff while thrifting?" It's true, thousands of items of clothes, often crammed together and lacking the right size tags can be super overwhelming, but if you're committed to getting a good deal and shopping sustainably, it can be a fun treasure hunt! (don't give me crazy eyes....it's true!)

Come along with as I thrift shopped last week and hear a couple tips that might help you too!

Here are some of my tips from the video (and a few more I added in!)

1. Have patience and look through everything!

Push all the hangers down as far as they can go. This way you can go through them one at a time. Move quickly....your eye can generally catch a cute color or pattern you like. This will keep you on time, but still seeing everything so nothing is missed. Allot a good amount of time for thrifting....you'll need at least a couple hours to find good stuff. Thrifting shouldn't happen on a day you feel rushed, because it takes patience!

2. Have intention when you shop

If you know what you're looking for, you'll be more apt to find something like it. I don't typically know exactly the style I want, but I usually know that I am looking for a certain color or a type of clothes (like a dress, shoe, or pant). This helps me intentionally go where those things are, so I don't feel super overwhelmed with all the stuff.

3. Find out when your thrift shop re-stocks or when their big drop offs come in

Big drop offs typically happen after holidays or Mondays after everyone went through their clothes on the weekend. And certain thrift shops re-stock or get things in on certain days. If you can find out when those times are, you can show up before other thrifters snag the great stuff.

4. Check out thrift shops in more high end neighborhoods

When doing this, you can often find name brands and higher end clothes. (But don't discount your thrift shop just because it isn't in a good area. There can be great stuff anywhere!)

5. Try on EVERYTHING and take risks!

You never know if something will look great until you try it on. So try on more then you would at a regular store! I also find that taking risks is more fun with thrifted clothes. I don't want to spend $40 on something that is a statement but I maybe won't wear all the time, but I will spend $5.99 on it. :)

6. Go on sale days!

You can find out by asking when your sale days are at your local thrift shops. They normally discount certain color tags.....and discounts on thrift clothes make them even MORE affordable!

7. Be creative, have fun, and buy sustainably or fair trade whenever you can!

This is my most favorite way to wear my hair! I've had friends ask how I get it so curly, so here's a quick tutorial on what I use. I feel like I channel my inner 'Mamma Mia' when I do my hair like this....and it's totally one of my most favorite movies. :)

Curling Wand Used Here
​I also used.... Not Your Mother's Dry Shampoo and Frizz Ease Hairspray ​

I really wanted to fill this awkwardly BLANK space on my wall. And since our ceilings are somewhat high, everything I tried here looked miniature size. We decided that three 6ft picture shelves would help our space feel less empty!

Turns out, buying pre-made 6ft shelves from any store is ridiculously expensive. Eeek! So we decided to build them ourselves. While we are by no means experts, here's a quick step by step guide for how we built ours and what we stained them with.

The cost of the material for the wood shelves was about $15-18 a shelf. (Depending on if you already have some of the supplies).

We used:

• 6 1x4x6 pieces
• 3 1x2x6
  

**Sometimes hardware store wood pieces are a TAD too long in certain areas. Make sure yours are the right length when buying or you may have to get a table saw of sorts to shorten them.

• Wood Glue
• Drill
• 1-1/4 Screws for shelves

* Other tutorials said to use finishing nails, but honestly this did not hold it as well as I hoped and since I have a baby and was        terrified it would fall on her head, I decided screws were better even though they were more visible. (honestly they're barely            noticeable).

• 2 1/4 Screws for hanging into wall
• ​Stain & rags
• Level for hanging

The glue helped these boards bond together better without gaps, but I liked the extra measure of the screws. We had to use a drill bit to bore a hole into the wood so it wouldn't split, and then we screwed the screws in. We placed three along the back edges of the 1x4x6.

Place a small amount of glue on backside and place it firmly against the edge of the exposed side of the 1x4x6. This should form a small lip so your frames can't slide off.

You'll see how we did it in the photo below. Then we *tried* to finish this piece with finishing nails. I felt they weren't secure enough, so we ended up just screwing in three of our screws for peace of mind. (1 on each end and 1 in the middle). My stain was dark enough that you didn't notice much.

Though, I'll be honest, I didn't stain the back because I got a little tired. ;)
They take about a couple hours to dry. 

Hanging is ALWAYS easier with two people, a ladder, and a LEVEL. We used painter's tape to place the shape and length of the shelves on the wall FIRST. Then we made marks and just screwed the back of our 1x4x6 right into the wall. We used three 2 1/4 screws (2 on each end and one in the middle).

We are so excited to finally share photos of our recent Florida house renovation! Whoop whoop!
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We purchased the house mid-November and had about a month to finish before we moved in. We were definitely on a budget, so there's still little tweaks I want to make over time (adding color, decor, rugs, etc), but we are SO thrilled with what we got accomplished in just a month. Proof you really CAN renovate a house if you've ever thought about it. HGTV, for the win. :) 

Because we worked within a tighter budget, we did a lot of the things ourselves and hired out sub-contractors for the more complicated jobs. We also tried to re-use as much furniture we already owned... and we managed all the projects ourselves. Some of the projects we personally did most of:

• Demo of walls, tile, etc.
• Laying the laminate floors
• Painting 
• Removing and replacing all baseboards
• Project managing & decorating, landscaping

Things we found it easier to outsource: 

• Painting the cabinets white (a good cabinet paint job is hard!)
• Installing counter top/sink
• Laying tile in kitchen & bathrooms

We googled most things, youtubed a lot, and had a TON of help from family and friends!

We are still finishing up our master bathroom, office, and backyard, but can't wait to post a recap of those in the next few months!

If you have any questions, leave 'em in the comments and I'll try my best to answer. Florida houses are NOT the typical houses, so getting them to have that soft farmhouse-y feel is HARD. I'm so happy with the DIY way in which we did it!

​I've left as many links to colors and products we used below the images. Enjoy! <3

​As you can see, we repainted everything white, demoed a whole wall and room to expand the living room/kitchen, updated all the lighting, and decorated with a soft wood/blonde feel. 

​                                                                Products:
Couch:  Ashley Furniture - Floors: Hidalgo Oak Pergo Max - Rug: World Market on Black Friday Sale - End Table: Target - Coat Rack Mirror: Target - Over Couch Mirror: Target - Farmhouse Light: Lowes - Plant: Ikea - Behind Couch Table: World Market on Black Friday Sale - Wall Color: Alabaster by Sherwin Williams - Baseboards & Ceiling Color: Pure White by Sherwin Williams - Wooden Chair: Yard Sale 

​In the kitchen, we went with a very white and simple feel. Knowing we won't live here forever, we wanted the average Florida buyer to be interested in our house. It was easiest to keep the kitchen all against one wall. We did subway tile, installed recessed lighting, painted the dark wood cabinets a pure white, and used brass hardware. 

                                                
​                                                          Products:
Island: Too expensive to build, so we snagged this off Wayfair for under $200 during a sale - Subway Tile: Lowes - Cabinet Pulls: Amazon - Kitchen rug runner: Target - Kitchen Table: Thrifted and refurbished for only $50 - Kitchen Chairs: Tj Maxx - Island Stools: Ikea - Most towels & vases: Hearth & Hand at Target

​Again, we kept our bedroom very simple. I have always just loved white, so we painted it from a purple-ish gray to a soft white. We kept the darker tile the last owners had laid and overlaid it with some soft rugs. We updated with gold accents and peachy tones. 

                                                          Products:
Wall Color: Alabaster by Sherwin Williams - Bedside Tables: Wal-Mart - Rug: E-Rugs - Comforter: Target - White/Gold Lamp: TJ Maxx - Blue Chair: Ikea - Bed frame: Thrifted
Basket: Thrifted - Tv Stand/Drawers: Family Heirloom - Gold Pulls: Amazon - Wall Hanging: Target - Curtains: Ikea

This bathroom was dark, so we had to find a way to lighten it up and make it more exciting and bright. We kept the vanity and mirror the previous owners installed, but re-painted it with a soft gray, added white knobs and decorations, and some soft wood. Finally, the Moroccan white based tile was an attempt to try and make it more fun!

                                                              Products:
Wall Color: Silver Drop by Behr - Floor Tile: Overstock - Knobs: Target - Shelves: Target - Shower Curtain: Target - Farmhouse Light: Lowes in Aged Bronze

We wanted our nursery to be bright, because there was only one window available. We kept the wood floors through out and painted it a soft green-gray. Our theme was national parks, so we decorated with vintage posters we already owned, photos of our roadtrip across the country, and some mid-century pieces. As you can see, I started to install curtains and then they blocked the light too much...so those will have to come later. ;)

                                                       Products:
Wall Color: Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams lightened by one shade - Eames Chair: TJ Maxx- Changing Table: Wayfair - Pendant Light: World Market - Lamp: Ikea - Wall Hanging; TJ Maxx - Crib: Amazon - Chair: Target - Rug: Overstock - Posters: Anderson Design Group