SMUCKERS BOXES

It has become evident to me that I spend most of my time styling only a few specific places in our house, the front entry being one of them...I am working on that, but until then here is more front entry decor...

I totally love these truly vintage and authentic preserve boxes. Found a ton of them in an old unused barn on the farm; only took two of them but have a feeling I will be headed back shortly for more because I just love them!!

I feel like this entry is a little garden theme-y. {I think themes are gross, but decided to let it slide this time}. STILL can't get over how much I love these Smucker's preserve boxes!

SPRING ENTRY

I must have feeling the need to escape to a spa this spring {after a crazy time at work} because I think the vibe of the entry was a little zen. I had all of the pieces {trying to rotate what I already have and use in creative different ways} excluding the faux palm leaf that I purchased at Michaels for less than $10.

Altogether, this simple decor was very clean and easy to put together.

DAILY ORGANIZING SYSTEM

Finally, putting up a post on my Christmas gift to Nick! He requested a calendar for his new place so I decided to give him an entire wall of organizing! This was a relatively easy project {excluding the calendar, which was rather maddening}.

To begin I bought all the frames a Michaels. I opted to do alternating colors to contrast from what was going to be placed in the frame. Starting on the left, is  a dry erase board {purchased at Home Depot}. Next is a chalk board {board purchased at Home Depot, learn how to make the paint here}, following this is the seemingly simple yet very math intensive calendar that actually ended up great! To make this last for years to come, I made all of the lines with marker on mat paper that I placed underneath the frame glass. Now Nick can write and erase with the same markers he uses on the white board. The final piece to this little frame organization is a simple cork board. Hope this is as useful as I envisioned it!

BLACK AND WHITE ENTRY

Lately it seems I have been into neutrals! Browns, blacks and whites are all over the house and my wardrobe lately...the newest place is the entry.

I love the pattern of this pillow...and it's so plush! {yet another great IKEA find}

And how cool is this old barrel. Even has family history because it's from a construction company my dad worked for years ago when they first lived in Boise! Also can't forget to mention how much I LOVE this black and white striped blanket! It will be fun to continue to find new places to incorporate all these new pieces in the future!

HOUSE UPDATES

While in SLC we also managed to spend some time at IKEA (my fav!) and as soon as I got home I updated from winter Christmas {well mom took the Christmas down} to just more winter and even a little spring!

Surprisingly my mom {the horticulturist} and I love these little faux plants from IKEA.

I stole this basket from the entry and filled it with more IKEA plantings!

I technically should have posted this with the Christmas decor since I made the vase for the holidays but we kept it out in honor of the winter chill that is still outside! I just love this area in our hallway! The little bookshelf has been around as long as I can remember, so I am glad we still put it to good use.

I also love this little spot because all of the pieces on the shelf are pieces of projects I have worked on in the past. I printed out the little quote from my pinterest board {Quotes} and framed it.You can also sort of see the notebook that I chalk painted a few weeks ago with the extra paint from making the chalk tray {see here}. One of the smaller boxes that I covered with map {see here}, again with left over supplies, is also in the corner there. The books on this shelf are also some of my favorite most inspiring reads. Clearly I love this bookcase from all the memories and inspiration it brings me!

*Really quickly want to say how great using rock salt as vase filler worked! It strongly held the heavy amaryllis in place and looked like snow! How festive! I just love completing pinterest projects!

HOLIDAYS

I have been the worst blogger lately; going to blame it on the craziness of the holidays. Anyways, going to do a little mash up on live lately:

Nick and I saw some beautiful lights at the Idaho Botanical Gardens.

It was a little chilly but fortunately we had a great work party to warm up at after!

This year I decorated presents in chalkboard style. It was very easy and worked really well! I found teacher's craft paper at a local store and bought about 7 feet of it for less than $5 (talk about a deal and it heavy weight so no need to worry about it ripping!). Then all I did was right on in with regular chalk. Actually, the hardest part of this project was tracking down the bakers twine. Finally found some online at Lima Beads for a great price.

I just loved our front door this year! We have always wanted to use real garland around the door and this year I founds some at Home Depot for a crazy end of season deal!

Potterybarn inspired me to add pinecones to these outdoor lanterns and I thought they were so festive and cozy!

My family hosted a fun filled holiday party the weekend before new years and these were the goodies that we gave to all of our guests. They are crock pot peanuts and chocolate that my dad found on Food Network. I was grateful that I don't like the combo because we made a massive batch!

As gifts for some of my friends this year I made some infused vodka. The flavors I end up making were peppermint and cranberry. I heard the peppermint turned out great and hope that the cranberry ended up  being flavorful!

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

GETTING FESTIVE

We are finally getting the house ready for the holidays around here. I got inspired by this beautiful tree in a festive hall at the Capitol earlier this week.

My first project was transforming the chalk tray {see how to make here} into a fun entry board! So excited about this! I LOVE using fresh tree trimmings throughout the house. It creates a very natural look and smells good too!

Another example of using trimmings. Got inspiration to make this from the one and only Potterybarn catalogue.  However, I added the jut twine to add to the coziness of the whole look.

Mom and I topped of the decorating today with eggnog and fresh shaved nutmeg. So delish and so festive!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

Who wouldn't want to spend the holidays here! I love the white lights...everywhere!

And again. I really like this welcoming entry! My family just put up our Christmas lights outside. We have always done colored lights {so they seem really home-y to me} but I do love the fresh look of these white lights. It also looks really bright and clean...can't go wrong with that!

This natural take on the holidays is also very pretty. If I decorated the door like this I would still add white lights so that it can still be seen at night!

These photos are great inspiration {all photos are from my Pinterest Board My Favorite Time of the Year!} because I am still deciding how to decorate our door for our upcoming Christmas party/open house! More details will be coming soon!!

LANTERNS

As the seasons are changing and Christmas is fast approaching I find myself changing up the decor in the house. Out with the pumpkins and in with the red and green! In addition to changing the colors in the house, I am also moving items around and giving them a hole new look. Just today I moved the lanterns that were in the entry {seen here} to my room.

I think they have a totally different look now and bring some coziness to my desk.

One of my upcoming craft projects is to re-cover one of my many cork boards {I'm thinking with burlap} and hang it over the desk for a media center. That way I will have less sitting on valuable workspace.

MERCURY GLASS PUMPKINS

Crazy excited about these mercury glass pumpkins I snagged for a GREAT deal at Potterybarn on Black Friday. The associate that helped me said that they were on their 3rd and final markdown! Got them just in time and can't wait to have these timeless fall decorations forever.

I have been thinking lately that there are lots of blogs out there {that I loveee} that say you can get celebrity style on a budget. I completely agree and also think that luxury housewares and home decor can also be obtained on a reasonable budget. It is my hope that I can represent how that can be accomplished on this blog through examples of smart buys and also reusing and repurposing items already at home. What a perfect post to kick this off with!

So tip number one is obvious but often forgotten {by me included} and that is to pick items up on sale after the season. This requires patience {meaning I can't buy Potterybarn Christmas right now} but it is well worth the wait when you can enjoy quality pieces and know you didn't break the bank to get them. Now just to find a place to store them until next year!!

ZEBRA RUG

Photo via my Pinterest Board

I have decided to post some of my favorite pins a few times a week...and this is one of my first attempts at it!

I just love the simplicity and fabulous styling of this room. My primary reason for pinning this photo is because of the beautiful zebra floor rug. I think it is a classic home decor element. However, there are many other reasons to love it too! I love the rich color of the leather chairs and the cozy conversational arrangement that they are in. The happy white halls and green tree finish the room perfectly!

BLOOMS

Stopped by BLOOMS today on my way home from work. I have been eyeing this cute little flower shop for a while now and finally decided today was the day to check it out! It is located on the corner of State and 13th Street in an old gas station or car repair shop, so its really tiny but full or adorable finds.

This vintage sign is so cute and very festive! I often take pictures of items that I think I could recreate myself and this is a perfect example. Making this would be easy to do with a couple of old boards and stencils. I personally would like this even better with black or more natural lettering.

These short aspen tree cuttings would be really cute to display with Christmas decor on a mantle...but I can't imagine myself paying boutique prices for something that my dad could easy create.

Cute decorations outside the shop.

Shot of the inside. So many cute finds inside...they have lanterns {which I am a sucker for!!} I am sure I will be frequenting regularly now!

FALL ENTRY

Recently purchased this classically styled entry bench and totally love it! It is such an inviting and cozy welcome to the house. Added a few fall elements to finish it up. I really just love this space!

Bench: Fred Meyer
Pillow: Potterybarn
Lanterns: IKEA
Baskets: IKEA
Vase: Local Colorado market

Finally stopped by the cute little farmer's stand I see on the way to work everyday and picked up these little cuties. I got a variety of different pumpkins and squash in many different shapes and colors because I think it gives a more natural and cozy look. How can you not love fall!?!

Here are a few from outside too. Placed a lantern {my fav} outside to carry the theme from inside to outside the door. Mom received the mums from a friend at work and they just happened to match the decor! So perfect!

MODEL HOME FURNISHINGS

Mom and I recently visited a furniture retailer right across the street from our house and found the cutest items and unbelievable prices! The pictured side table is on my to get list...looks like Potterybarn for a fraction of the cost!

The distressing on this TV stand was really nice...wish there was more to this setup because its not quite big enough for the huge wall the TV will be on. We didn't buy anything this trip because we were headed to IKEA the next week (just got back and will post soon) but I think we will be back to buy a few pieces soon!

Thanks for the recommendation Chels :)

NEW CLOSET

I have to say I am pretty happy with the way the new closet turned out. Very simple and clean.

And my photo boxes for accessories fit perfect! Read how to make these by following this link: http://alwaysjenjune.blogspot.com/2012/03/simple-storage.html

Makes getting ready in the morning a little nicer :)

HURRY UP FALL

Clearly, I am ready for hall. Just put these up in my guest room {aka Nick's room and my closet}. I collected these two falls ago with one of my girlfriends here in Boise. This is probably my favorite crafts to date...and it was the cheapest too! All of the frames were purchased at a thrift store for around a dollar each. Then I painted them all the same glossy brown to give them a cohesive feel, but I love that all the frames are different like the leaves in them!

Here's to fall weather and decor!

FORGOTTEN TREASURES

I will be honest that sometimes I get my blog and instagram confused...Totally thought I had blogged about this but turns out I haven't!! Sharing this lovely adventure that I had with my great friend Syd! We randomly attended an event at a beautiful local greenhouse. It was the cutest nursery ever. Everything was displayed and very impressive and all for sale!! Wish I had a home and garden to fill! Love the cute little signs they had to guide shoppers around. They even do custom planting! The mailbox is one example. Lots of beautiful arrangements here...will be back someday with plans in hand!!!

Gift Stash

As you can see from my previous post sometimes it takes me a while to get my friends gifts. Birthdays are the worst because I can never remember when they are. I have found two solutions to this. First, I have found a wonderful little planner that has an area in the back where I can keep important information like that and number two is having a secret stash of little gifts on hand...just in case a list minute gift worthy moment comes up! My mom always used to have one of these and now I am starting one. So far not too many pieces yet but can't wait to keep my eyes open for good little finds that may come in handy! Another bonus is that one of the boxes I wrapped from an earlier post will be filled now!