The Fat Hydrangea

Sara Michelle - Columbus, Ohio

Hallway Makeover- Making Progress!

Sara Michelle B.2 Comments

I'm very happy to say we have been making some major progress on the first floor hallway makeover! The top half of the room is painted Martha Stewart's Flagstone; the beadboard is up, primed, and painted; and the trimwork is complete!

I'm so happy with it! The space is SO much brighter and it is amazing how it makes the whole house feel so much more clean and finished. If I would have known what an impact it would have, I would have done this project a LONG time ago!

Here are some shots of how the room progressed over the last few days (and a few shots of my cuter helpers!)

All that is left to do at this point is figure out what is going up on the walls! (And fix that darn tilting light fixture, lol).

ALSO, my friend Brooke has an a-m-a-z-i-n-g and super inspirational blog, Gals with Goals. Brooke and her friend Angela pick a new goal they want to accomplish each month. It is addicting, and I can never wait to see what they are planning next. WELL, this month she is decorating her guest room. It is a blank slate! She has great taste and I can't wait to see what she does with it. You should definitely follow her along this month (and every month) - here!

Saturday Shopping: Easy, Breezy Shorts

Saturday Shopping, Mom UniformSara Michelle B.Comment

When it comes to what I wear, function and comfort are at the top of my list.  Let's be real, I am usually chasing two kids around the backyard, up and down the stairs, and around in circles. However, I still need my "mom uniform" to be cute and to make me feel pretty! I can't throw ALL of my style out the window just because I am a busy, active mama (and still trying to lose those last few stubborn pounds of baby weight, to boot!)

I'm sure a lot of you reading this are in the same boat, hence I decided to start sharing some of my favorite fashion finds here and there. While I have dozens of fashion blogs that I follow,  I am not spending $300 on amazing chiffon blouses from Nordstrom and Bloomingdales every week, but hey - how many of us can actually do that in that real world? I am actually more inspired by moms finding ways to make their everyday wardrobes a balance between affordable, functional, and cute. However, I am having trouble finding this out in the blog/instagram world, so thought I'd just start sharing my favorite finds every once in awhile.

That being said, let's get started! This summer I have pretty much lived in this style of easy, pull-on short shorts! They are SO COMFORTABLE and so easy to wear with a basic v-neck t-shirt.  Elastic waistband? Sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud, but YES PLEASE! And seriously, aren't they cute?

Here are some of my favorites:

What are your favorite everyday wardrobe staples?

Reader Question re: Parade of Homes

Parade of HomesSara Michelle B.2 Comments

I recently received a question from a reader about an old Parade of Homes post, found in my archives here. Unfortunately, I must have accidently deleted the e-mail! Since I didn't want to leave you high and dry, I decided to repost the pictures from this amazing house and answer your question!

First of all, I love this house. It has been AGES since I went back and looked at my archives - this post was from three years ago - so it was really fun to look at these pictures again. This house was truly one of my favorites!

It is making me really excited for the BIA Parade of Homes in Columbus this September again.

Anyway, on to the house! I'm not sure I could pull off this backsplash in my own life, but I do love the balance of modern and cozy styles in this kitchen. The gray cabinets totally pop against the white counters, and I love the hardware choice. I think if you changed the backsplash to a subway tile and swapped out the light fixtures, this would be my dream kitchen, 100%!

The reader's question was actually about the paint treatment in the dining room and whether it was wallpaper or paint. I am 99.9% sure that it was paint! I love that it resembles indigo dip dye fabric. So cool! Reader, if you try this in your own house, you absolutely have to send me a picture! I also love this wine rack.

Here are some more pictures of this amazing house for you to enjoy!

You can see more pictures of this home at the BIA Parade of Homes site here.

 

Also, I know I JUST promised posts on M, W, F and I'm already posting a day late! I tried scheduling the post to post automatically at 7:00am yesterday and apparently that did not work so I had to manually post it today. Don't worry I will be back on schedule starting now! Thanks for bearing with me!