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!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who wants to hang onto summer just a little bit longer? Granted, it's been a weird one but nothing beats lazy mornings, pool time, and summer fare. I don't have much of a green thumb but I grew basil this summer and really enjoyed it. I plan to carry that into fall, only this time, created a pretty, hanging herb garden with some of our favorite herbs we use all year. Plus we spend a lot of time on our patio in the fall and they also serve as a bug repellant. That's what you call a win/win people. I recently received a Cricut Maker - cue excited squeals- and thought it would be the perfect way to embellish my hanging herb garden by creating clean and modern labels for the pots. Here's what you need to replicate this project!

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Project Labels

Cricut Maker

Vinyl Starter Kit - it includes vinyl, transfer tape, weeder, scraper, and more

Planter Hanger

-Any hanger will do. Just make sure you can see the label. This one is a similar ring style to mine (sorry, my specific hangers are sold out!) and comes with pots, but smaller. If you use a smaller pot you may need to resize the labels in design space.

Cup Hooks

Planters

Herbs

This was my first time using the Cricut Maker so these instructions are literally written for someone with zero knowledge/skill! And as you can see, my project is pretty simple too. You can do this!

But first, a bit about the machine. The Cricut Maker is an amazing smart cutting machine. Listen- this thing cuts leather, fabric, basswood, craft foam, denim, light chipboard...the list goes on. I love that it's so versatile because it means the possibilities are literally endless. In my opinion, that's one reason it's worth the investment. Besides what you can do currently- emboss, engrave, create perforations, etc, Cricut will continue to expand the suite of tools to add even more options. Lastly, as a first-timer, I can say the hardest part of this machine is simply getting over my fear of using it! It can be intimidating but is really easy to use. I suggest reading through the materials to get over the hump of feeling like you don't know what you're doing! Even reading the instructions that come with the Vinyl Starter Kit was so helpful. I also love that during the initial set up, it prompts you to cut right then and there which quickly gets that first time using it out of the way. I highly recommend not skipping that step! Okay back to the project-

DIY Hanging Herb Garden Tutorial

First, place your planter in its hanger and make a light pencil mark where you want your label. For my project, I marked just under the ring and then added about an inch.

You can find the labels I used here. Once you've opened the project, follow the prompts in Design Space to cut.

Once the machine is finished cutting, cut the excess vinyl off (cutting the labels apart from each other*) and then used the weeding tool to gently pull back the backing, starting in the corner and keeping the image as straight as possible.

Next, gently apply transfer tape over the label, slowly taking the backing off by peeling up the transfer tape.

Finally, place the transfer tape on your planter using your marking as a guide and use the scraper tool. Slowly peel the tape off. If the vinyl comes off with it, simply press it back down, burnish again, and try again. Take your time!

Repeat for each label.*

*For the rosemary label, I cut it in half and applied each side separately. Since the planter is round I found the label was slanting. You may want to cut it into 3 pieces.

I love how it turned out! The smell of mint feels like summer and I'm eager to make my smokey turkey shepherd's pie with fresh rosemary.

Make sure to check out a variety of projects here on the Cricut blog- there you'll find weekly home renovation project inspiration and tutorials! So many fun ideas await!

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?

One of the most fun things we use the Patio for is an outdoor movie night. Clearly, we had no idea it would basically become our real-life movie theater experience (Darn Covid) but it now serves as that too. It's a really simple set up but I get asked about it often so I wanted to break down how to set up an outdoor movie night and answer those questions, here.