Books, Books, Books! | Bookshelves

I absolutely love the idea of bookshelves in a home. I love that it adds character and makes a space looked lived in. Besides Jeremy's text books (those really don't need to be displayed), we really don't have a lot of adult books. I usually read a book and then give it away. And let's not even try to remember the last book I read that didn't involve cookies and mice, hungry caterpillars, or pigeons driving busses. I LOVE the idea of having shallow shelves for front facing books. We have lots of picture books, and I just keep buying more, because really, those books can just be read over and over, and they really don't get old. (And if they do, you just hide them for a while.)

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image from GAP Interior Images Ltd.

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[so cheap, so easy]: Belted Magazines

I am absolutely loving the look of belted magazines--so much, in fact, that I have totally copied this idea for my own house. That's right: I've belted my magazines. Both Jeremy and Stella have taken a long look at them, touched the belt, then just kind of shrugged their shoulders and walked away. I love it when they notice new things, even if they were just making sure I didn't take one of their belts. 

image from Fashion Squad

image from Paulina Arcklin Photography

Shopping the House | Five Things You Already Have

Do you kind of hate it when people tell you to shop your house? You're like, "Really? You're telling me I'm going to find some awesome piece of awesomeness that I've forgotten about? Yeah right."  If you're like me, I'm using pretty much everything…no new discoveries, just like there is nothing new in my pantry--regardless of how many times I open and shut it. (Yet, I continue to do it.) I am willing to bet, however, that you have most of these items in your home, so get them out and use them!

1 | Sticks: Yes, I may have a slight obsession with sticks, everyone knows it. The other day, my three year old gifted me a stick, because "Mommy loves sticks." Sticks are cheap…free to be exact, and they add a natural element, height, and texture. 

image from Kat Teutsch Styling

image from Lantliv

2 | Blankets & Throws: Blankets and throws add a sense of warmth and add texture, color, and print to a space. Whether they're thrown over a chair, sofa, or bed or folded up on a shelf, basket, or piece of furniture--they're an easy addition.

image from Apartment Therapy

image from West Elm

3 | Dishes: Plates, bowls, and other serving pieces are a great way to fill open shelving or other areas in the kitchen or dining room. Stacking items gives a sense of collection and character.

image source unknown

image from House & Home

4 | Frames: Creating an eclectic gallery wall is a great way to add personality to a space.  Frames of all different sizes, colors, and textures can come together to make a major statement.

image from Desert Domicile

image from Style Me Pretty

5 | Books & Magazines: Books and magazines are a great way to add interest to a room. Stack books forward, backwards, sideways, or upright. Magazines can be stacked, collected in bowls, baskets, or trays, or even thrown over hangers or ladders.

image from Stylizmo

image from Todd Waterbury

[in five + one]: Favorite ABC Products & Ideas

Hey there! I hope you all had a good weekend. Even though Mr. Hubs was mostly MIA with trips to the hospital, golfing, and football games, my mom, Stella and I had some girl time, and we got to spend Sunday with even more family, so that made up for it. The highlight of the weekend was Stella taking part in her first Primary Program at church. (The Primary is children's organization in my church.) Instead of singing the songs, she spent most of the time giving my niece, Sloane, the stink eye and folding her arms in full pouting position, because Sloane was eating Stella's snacks from her church bag. I must say, it was quite entertaining. Now onto our ABC's...

I love a great ABC product for a kid's space and even for a common living space--that's why I like them to be cute! ABC's are classic and timeless, and let's be honest, the idea of the gold letters is just plain chic. Here is a list of my top six (even though the series is supposed to be [in five]) favorite ABC ideas and products.  Links are included below each picture.

Gold ABCs from Uncovet (This image is of jewelry, but the idea on Pinterest is to buy letter magnets and spray paint them gold.)

Classic ABC Blocks from Uncle Goose

Stella's ABC Flashcard Art | Flash cards can be purchased from Amazon

Paul Thurlby's Alphabet Book

 Printable Polka Dot ABC Cards from Yellow Mums via Etsy

image from Orange You Lucky | Magnets can be purchased from Amazon

Stella's Book Nook

Guess what I Stella got last week? A book nook. Most of her books were still in boxes from the move, so I was extra excited to have them out and displayed--which is super important for young readers, btw. I love, love, love the ledges! I've wanted these forever! The ledges actually don't hold as many books as I thought, because you don't want to stack them so deep that you can't get to or see the books. I probably could have used more ledges, but I'm super happy with the final result, and I'm fine with having books in other places throughout the house.  Most importantly, Stella loves this little area and loves choosing books from her new nook! 

Linking Up at

Fluster Buster's Creative Muster

[kreyv of the day]

image from Country Living

Displaying Children's Books with Picture Ledges

I have wanted to create a book wall for quite some time. We found out we were moving over a year ago, so I thought I might save our walls from additional holes and save Mr. Hubs from patching said additional holes. Plus, it's kind of a need-to-live-close-to-an-Ikea project, because that's where I would buy the ledges. I'm a huge advocate of being able to see book covers. It's the (retired) second grade teacher in me, but let's be honest, it also looks super cute. I can't wait to do this in our next place. 

P.S. I also want the stripes, but we'll save that little bit of good news after Mr. Hubs finishes his boards and gets in a few rounds of golf. Timing is everything.

image from Elizabeth Sullivan Design via House & Home

image from Jones Design Company

image from Sydney Morning Herald

[so cheap, so easy]: PB Teen Lab Book Ends

Genius. Plastic animals, wooden blocks, and spray paint. Thank you PB Teen for the great idea, and sorry, you won't be getting $49.00 plus shipping from me. 

image from PB Teen

[kreyv of the day]

image from House Beautiful

[so cheap, so easy]: Book Shelves

Book shelves, not to be confused with bookshelves...aren't they cute? All that is needed is two L brackets per shelf. From what I've gathered, the brackets are about $3 each(depending on what size you choose). I wish I could take credit for this project, because I like to be resourceful. And this, my friends, is a very resourceful project!

image from Real Simple

[so cheap, so easy]: Covered Books

I absolutely love the idea of covered books. I actually covered some of my own the other day with some really great handmade (or so they say) wrapping paper from World Market. It was almost like a papyrus with designs on it. Of course, I haven't taken pictures of them, yet. I got a new camera, but for some reason, the expensive camera didn't turn me into an awesome photgrapher. What's up with that?

What I really love is a book covered in fabric. I love every single pattern in the Real Simple picture. But, really, you can cover a book in anything: wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, newspaper, paper bags, fabric, etc. All you have to do is measure your paper to size, leaving enough width to be able to fold and tuck in the front and back cover, cut, and wah-lah, covered books.

image from Real Simple

image from Ohdeedoh

image from Everything Fabulous

[so cheap, so easy]: Spice Rack Bookshelves

In a previous life, I was a second grade teacher. That may be why I am a huge proponent of children having home libraries--home libraries where the books are facing forward (super important). I've seen tons of great solutions and more and more stores now carry these.

My wonderful, sweet, beautiful, and talented friend Leslie actually made such a bookshelf for Stella. Something WAY beyond my skills. (Leslie's one of those perfect, can do anything people.) We love it, and I could go on and on about how cute Stella is when she picks out books and puts them away, but I'll spare you (for now).

This post is about a solution that is so cheap, so easy, and so awesome. Three words: Ikea spice racks. Three ninety-nine, right here. Need I say more?

image from Odeedoh

[color kreyv]: Lime Green

I'm not going to lie, these rooms kind of hurt my eyes, but this is a non color-discriminating blog! It reminds me of this room that I painted over. Not every color is for everyone, but I must admit, these rooms are cool and interesting, and I bet the people who live there are pretty cool and interesting, too. I bet they are just a tad bit rebellious in nature and definitely not neutral kind of people. Just a guess.

image from The Want Monster

image from House Beautiful

image from Warpedeco

Five Must Have Home Accessories

I think it's time I tell you about my other man--Nate Berkus. I've never been into talk shows, so I was excited when he started a show about interior design (and this, that, and the other). I'll be honest, the first time I watched the show, I was a little bit disappointed. I wanted less serious talk and more interior design talk. But, now I love it. I record it every day, and, as nerdy as it is, I sometimes take notes. Okay, I said it. I take notes. Let's move on.

I decided to start a repeating post titled, "Nate Says." This is kind of a joke at our house, because many a time, I share Nate's advice with my hubby. I start the sentence with, "Nate says..." Jeremy laughs at me, but I know he secretly loves it and probably takes notes himself. So, with that being said, this post is about Nate's five must have home accessories.

1) Mirrors

image from Decor Pad

image from Casa Sugar

image from Design Files

2)Books

image from Material Girls

image from Real Living

image from Real Living

3)Something from Nature

image from Nesting Newbies

image from Rol Vn

4) Silver Frames

image from Pottery Barn

image from Pottery Barn

5)Original Art or Sculpture

image from B-Metro

image from Life in a Venti Cup