I took a walk down memory lane and you know what the first dupe I shared was? It was a pair of Juicy Couture sweats (remember the velour sweats trend that tricked us into thinking we looked like J.Lo?) back in 2009. I shared my first West Elm Look for Less in 2011. I love finding a good deal but specifically, finding on-trend home items at a price that fits within my budget. Kirkland's Home has beautiful home finds at budget-friendly price points and they always have something new. You're not going to believe these Dupes! Keep reading to see a few look for less Crate & Barrel, Anthropologie, and Pottery Barn Dupes! Plus see the items I grabbed and how I styled them.

I've never gone back to see which items I shared that you guys have loved...until now! It was a really fun exercise and will be helpful for me to share things that resonate this year. I'm going to get right to it with the top 10 things you guys purchased (note, the Amazon data is not easily available but I did include the one item that shows up every time I get a report!)

Our sad little guest bath got a face lift just in time for guests! When I showed it to you last week, it looked like this:

 Thank you Walmart for sponsoring this post. All opinions are mine. 

You guys know I've been a long time fan of Walmart Home but it just keeps getting better. Recently they rolled out some fun summer-y finds featuring bright colors, patterns, and modern silhouettes. It's just so good and the prices can't be beat! I've rounded up some of my favorites for you below- starting at just $10!

If you follow on Instagram, you know I have the "magic" rug in our loft and, well, the magic has worn off. I'm ready for a change. That said, I have to add though that this rug has been so good to us and was GREAT for 4 years with 3 littles. It cleans up really well and goes with everything. So don't rule it out if you need a kid-friendly rug! I've been checking out Rugs USA (not sponsored) and found a variety of large-sized neutral area rugs. I shared them all on Like.To.Know.It but I hear some of you prefer round-ups on the blog so this one's for you! 

 

Recently, I was contacted by Triangle Home Design Decor Magazine to create a mood board of my living room for their August newsletter- but what I'm calling the aspirational version. I've created many "looks for less," but never have I created a "look for more." It was super fun and also um, I want it all. I shared some of my thoughts about decorating on a budget here, but to sum it up, designing one's home at all, is a luxury- even DIY. Owning power tools, buying materials- it's all something I don't take for granted. But I was happy to let my living room play dress up. Here she is:

Aperture Mirror

Belgian Track Arm Sofa

Live Edge Coffee Table (or this one)

Isobel Rattan Ottoman

Oakmont Hand-Knotted Rug

Artisan Earthenware Vase

Pinstripe Linen Pillow

Carson Carrington Gold Chandelier 

You can see my 'real' living room and sources here and the newsletter here!

Slowly but surely we're getting the first floor together. I don't know what's "normal," but our pace feels so slow, guys! I keep thinking of a proverb we received from an older African gentleman in our first year of marriage "Little by Little, the bird builds its nest"- in his language. So sweet and oft thought of when I'm getting impatient. We made a big step in the entry when we had a hall tree (locker? what do you call it?) built but then I painted it the 'wrong' color and proceeded to ignore it for 2 years. Ha! Well here are plans for a quick and easy entry refresh.

Hey friends! At last, I bring you the girls' shared bedroom! It's a little luxe, a little magical, and a little bit boho. I've been working on it for forever, changing my mind often, and teasing it for months. Ha! But I'm calling it done even with a few projects I want to tackle later. The girls are happy; I'm happy! So do you want to see it?

We finally stained our DIY pergola! It was always our intent to stain it, but once it was finished, we found ourselves just wanting to enjoy it! As the months passed, we noticed the wood splintering and getting gray/weathered and figured it was time. It was a big job best accomplished in the spring before temps hit the 100s (hello North Carolina summers) but if it hadn't been for quarantine, we might have continued putting it off (we're ambitious like that). After trying a million different samples, I have some things to say hence an entire post dedicated to it, plus I haven't shared any patio photos since last July so now is a good time for an update. But first, when you last saw our DIY modern pergola, it looked like this:

You guys! We made it! We've arrived at the end of the One Room Challenge! Air hugs and jazz hands all around! What an eventful 8 weeks (in more ways than one)! I'm excited to show you the final result of the past 8 weeks- and really 8 months since we first began discussing this project. Joe and I knew we needed a place for me to work, a place for a family computer, and though I hope not (please please please), a place for the kids to 'do school,' if remote learning continues in the fall. We decided that the blank wall in the kitchen would be a great place for a DIY office nook. My goals for the office nook included:

Between my kids wrapping up school (this last week of remote learning has been as tough as the first!), traveling (we're at the beach!), and general busy-ness, I can't say I have much progress to share with the One Room Challenge. But I didn't want to totally ignore the fact that I owe you an update on our kid-friendly office nook, so here it is! Keep reading to see where we landed on the shelves, the brackets we're considering, and my secret weapon for shelf styling.

I'm sure I'm not the only one looking around my home at all the projects that are half done or yet to be started. I mean there's something about being 'stuck' at home that opens our eyes to things we've been ignoring. Or sometimes, nothing's bugging us but we're itching for a change. Either way, getting projects done while under a stay at home order and can't shop poses a challenge. That's why I started taking note of all the things we've done (or can do) even while staying home. Here are 10 easy and inexpensive home updates to make while adhering to stay at home orders.

Our current sofa is GORGEOUS and super comfy but it's linen which apparently you can't touch. I have 3 rambunctious kiddos and while we don't eat in the living room, it's literally 3 feet away from where we do eat and a few more feet from the kitchen. Let's just say my kids aren't rule followers and I need a sofa I can wipe down or wash. Enter slipcovered sofas. While I love modern decor and clean lines, slipcovered sofas have the casual look I'm craving. They now come in low and deep styles with track or shelter arms that make my heart go pitter-patter. Per usual, my budget is smaller than my appetite (is that a phrase? It should be). So here are the best, slipcovered sofas I could find for under $2000...and one over that. Couldn't help it!

We had a few reasons for choosing a modern pergola for the patio. I love that a pergola allows light into the house, vs. a screened-in porch that limits light. I love that you can dress up basic concrete with a simple and stylish area rug, and I love the price. Cement is much more affordable than a floating deck or tile, either of which would have been a dream. I've always loved sitting under a modern pergola with string lights at restaurants and thought why not create that dreamy vibe at home? If you're convinced, keep reading to see how to build a modern pergola of your own.

Have you ever looked at a room and you just couldn't take it anymore?! This describes our dining room. Even my 10-year-old comments, "mom, we need a new table!" Our table was purchased during my farmhouse phase so the style no longer reflects the rest of our home. But I could get over that- really, I could!-- if it wasn't for the quality of the table deteriorating before our very eyes. It was not built for kids or moisture and the top is destroyed. We plan to replace it eventually but it did not make the project/house expense list this year. Besides, I'd really like to push it a little longer in the hopes that there will be fewer messes and more cleaning up after themselves in the future. (I know, I know, but a mama can hope!). So here's what I did to avoid replacing all the things, which is what I really wanted to do! And here's what you can do to makeover a room with very little cash if you're in the same predicament!

I can't believe how many affordable options for stylish lighting exist! Whenever I feel impatient to buy something (which is like all the time, haha), I have to remind myself that there will be even more great options later. Remember when I was searching for a budget-friendly chandelier? I had such a hard time coming up with inexpensive, stylish fixtures. Now there are plenty! I didn't intend my first post of the New Year (Happy New Year!) to be a round-up of affordable light fixtures for a kid's room, but alas, when I started searching for the girls' room last night I found so many, that I had to share. It's my duty as a blogger, right?? ;) I organized them by style but you should know the majority of them are less than $100, even starting at $28! Oh, and the light fixture in the top image is from here- I love it! I've listed them all out but you can simply click the image in the "shop the post" widget at the end to be taken right to the product. Ok here goes:

You guys! I'm calling the bathroom complete. I can't wait to share it with you- it was a labor of love and learning. If you've ever tried to find inspiration for a 5x8 basic bathroom that doesn't include big expenses like new faucets, new flooring, tilework, etc, you know it sort of doesn't exist. But I'm a big fan of the phase 1 makeover and since the kids' bathroom is the one overnight guests use, I was motivated to give it a facelift on a budget. Read about our budget-friendly basic bathroom makeover-- why we made the choices we did, and ideas to improve your own bathroom.

Remember when I shared that I bought final sale pine mirrors that looked like oak on the website but looked orange in real life? For a hot second, I considered just losing my $300+ dollars (I even bought these replacements). But then I came to my senses and decided there had to be a way to make pine look more like oak (I'd even settle for making the pine look less yellow). Although they weren't what I expected, they were a great size and real wood. And you can sand and stain pine, right? So that's what I set out to do. In order to keep them light and a little more modern looking, I knew I couldn't throw a coat of dark stain on them. I had to do this right. I'll cut to the chase. I'm really happy with the result! Here's what I did.

original finish

First I researched my butt off to get an idea of what types of stains look good over pine. I learned so much. I learned about wood bleach which can help tone down the yellow hue of pine. I learned about using a steel wool pad and a vinegar solution to help with the unsightly knots that are often prominent in pine. I learned about whitewash pickling stain. All of these things are useful but I couldn't try them all. I decided to test out some of the stain combos I saw online on a 'strip' of pinewood and go from there. But first, here are two things you can do to make sure your stain goes on nice and smoothly! 

first, sand the wood and get rid of any remaining dust. I saw the difference clearly between sanding and not sanding since I forgot to sand for tests 1 and 2. Cant you tell?!

second, make sure to use a wood conditioner. It really helps and pine needs all the help it can get. Okay, here are the combos I tested and the products I used*:

Sanding block
Wood conditioner
Early American Stain
Golden Oak Stain
Whitewash Pickling Stain
Weathered Oak Stain
Sander

*Most of my supplies were from Home Depot except the whitewash stain- got that from Amazon!

Here are are the stains I tried on the pine "test" piece:
1. weathered oak
2. golden oak, and then the next day, whitewash pickling stain that I wiped off after a minute.
3. weathered oak + early American wiped off right away.
4. weathered oak + early American allowed to sit for a couple of minutes before wiping off.
5. weathered oak (heavy-handed) + early American allowed to sit for 5 minutes before wiping off.
6. golden oak allowed to sit for 2 minutes.
7. golden oak lightly applied + whitewash pickling allowed to sit for just a minute before wiping off.

and then on a whim:
8. early American + the whitewash pickling stain. (not pictured but trust me when I say it looked disgusting).

It might seem like overkill to test all of these but unless you have experience staining, I'd suggest you do the same! How the final piece will look can vary based on how much stain you use, the wood prep, how long you allow the stain to sit on the wood, etc. So it's best to figure out your plan on a piece of test wood. But understand each piece of wood is different and so your results will be slightly different from your test. Also, I know they all look very similar here but in person, the differences are more noticeable. And really this 'test' is only comprised of a few variations I knew I'd like.

My favorite was #5 and #7. I couldn't decide so I asked Joe, who voted for #7. I was so afraid of using the whitewash for some reason but I figured the worse that could happen is that I wouldn't like it. And guess what? I already didn't like the mirrors so did I really have anything to lose? DIY takes courage y'all!

Ok so before staining the mirrors, I sanded off their waxed pine finish. I used an older version of this sander. The wood sanded really nicely- smooth and uniform. It was time to stain!


1. First I applied the pre-stain wood conditioner and let it dry for a half-hour.

2. Next, I applied golden oak lightly, meaning I dipped my cloth (I used an old t-shirt) into the stain and wiped it over the wood, rubbing it in as I went so as not to let it "puddle" anywhere. I let it dry for a few minutes. I was working outside in the sun so it didn't take too long for it to be dry to the touch.



I found that the corners were the trickiest. If the whitewash stain collects or puddles at all, it's hard to get it off. If that happens, you can sand it off and start over but I really didn't want to have to do that. I suggest taking your time and wiping seams/corners right away to avoid the puddling.

And as with any DIY project, make sure to start in the most inconspicuous place you can! That way you can get the hang of it in an area that's not very obvious. For this project, that was the very top where no one can see. Starting there gave me a chance to get in a groove.


The mirrors are not perfect but are SUCH an improvement from where we started! I hope these tips for staining pine to look more like oak were helpful! And side note, if you're looking for pretty wood mirrors, these wood-look mirrors are awesome! I was so tempted to keep them!

*affiliate links included. Thanks for supporting Pretty Real Blog. ♥