How to Throw a Favorite Things Party
Have you ever gone to a "Favorite Things" party? My friend throws one every year and it's such a fun excuse to get together with friends, eat yummy food, share some of your favorite things, and learn more about your friends! I always end up leaving with a long list of things that I just HAVE to buy, too. Here's how you throw one....
1. Invite as many people as you want! I think about 20 or so friends is ideal, but you can go smaller or larger depending on what you want.
2. Set a price limit. I think $10-$15 per gift is perfect. Again, do whatever feels best for your group!
3. Instruct every guest to bring three of the exact same gifts (each gift costing $10-$15 or whatever price point you've set), and wrap them exactly the same.
4. When your guests arrive, have each of them write their name on three little slips of paper, and put all the slips of paper into a bowl.
5. Sit in a big circle, and share your favorite things! The first person to go draws three names out of the bowl, and then she gives the three gifts she brought to those three people. Have them all open the gift at the same time, and then the person who brought the gift can explain why it's one of her favorite things!
6. Go around the circle and do this until everyone has given all of their gifts away, and has received three gifts. This will take longer than you think, because there is usually an entire conversation about each gift! It's so fun.
7. Have one of your friends act as scribe, writing down every gift that was brought. That way, after the party you can send out details and links in an email to all your guests!
Easy, peasy, right? I've also thought a fun idea would be to throw a "Favorite Foods Party", or "Favorite things from Costco Party"! Get creative!
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Guest Bedrooms
Overnight guests can be stressful and feel overwhelming for both the host and the visitors. If you have guests coming to stay at your home soon, help them feel welcome and at ease by creating a cozy guest bedroom. By anticipating some of your guest's needs, they’ll be able to relax throughout their stay and you’ll be able to simply enjoy their visit knowing everything is taken care of. We’ve listed six things you should include in your guest bedroom to be the perfect host.
Guest Bedrooms
via Southern Living
- Get the best bed possible. You don’t want people to dread coming to stay at your home and worry about being achy each morning because of your mattress. In addition to a nice mattress, comfortable and clean bedding make a huge difference.
- Have some spare pillows and blankets in a place that’s easily accessible. If it gets cold in the middle of the night, the last thing you want is your guest shivering and searching around for something to stay warm.
- Have a place where your guests can put their suitcase. Rather than kneeling on the floor to dig through a bag, think about including a bench or small table that your guests can put their suitcases on.
- Set out any necessities your guests may need. Towels, washcloths, extra toilet paper, tissues, shampoo, and conditioner are some things to have handy. Leave a note with your Wi-Fi password written on it in plain sight.
- Have a light source near the bed. A small lamp on a nightstand or a floor lamp is enough - just something that will allow your guest to read and unwind without having to get up again to turn off the overhead light.
- Depending on the length of your guests stay, you may want to clear out some drawers and empty out a closet so they are able to unpack and settle in. Make sure there are hangers available and they know which drawers are available.
What do you have in your guest bedroom?
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Cool Game Rooms
It is not impossible to create a game room that is cool, fun, and the place everyone wants to be. In fact, it’s pretty easy! With some of these ideas, you’ll be able to make the coolest game room you can imagine.
Cool Game Rooms
First thing’s first. You need to assess your space and decide how you want to use it. Are you going to be focusing on video games? Will you be watching a lot of sports? Do you want to include a pool table or a foosball table? Once you’ve decided how your family will use the room you’ll be able to get started.
Game rooms are designed to be somewhere to hang out, relax, and enjoy fun activities. That being said, one of the first things you need to do is find a comfortable seating option. Sectionals are a great choice with lots of seating options. A few recliners might be just what you need as well.
via HomeBNC
Regardless of whether you are a big gamer or not, you will not regret having a nice TV in your game room. Your home will be the place for movies, video games, and sporting events! Add surround sound, or at least a soundbar, to make sure you are getting the best sound quality.
Game rooms are often in the basement or somewhere with limited natural light. Make sure you have enough light fixtures to make the room comfortable and inviting. If you don’t have a lot of overhead lights, floor and table lamps are another lighting option.
If you’re into gaming, make sure you have a place to store your console and games. Entertainment centers or TV stands have enough storage to keep your things organized and out of sight. A clean room is a much more inviting room, so make sure you have a place for everything!
via HGTV
Add a ping pong table, pool table, or foosball table if you have room. You might be surprised at how often you or your kids will end up talking and hanging out around these tables.
How else have you created cool game rooms? What are in your game rooms at home?
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Best Interior Design Apps
You didnt go to design school, your sister and best friend aren't interior designers, and you have major problems that need to be solved in your home, gosh dangit! Twenty years ago you might have had to set aside a huge wad of cash to hire an expert, but in today's world? Don't even sweat it!! There are SO MANY amazing apps out there that can give you valuable guidance, direction, and answers to your color and interior design questions. While hiring a professional is never a bad idea, a great (and much less expensive option) is to try out a few apps first! They just might be more than enough! Here are a handful of interior design apps you should download ASAP.....
Matching paint colors is one of the hardest design tasks for me! This app does it for you! Simply take a photo of anything in the world that inspires you, and Color Capture will match the color to one of Benjamin Moore's 3,000 paint colors!
If I don't have a level and I try to hang a picture frame, 100% of the time I have to hang it about four times before I get it right. My judgement is ALWAYS off! This app brings five essential decorating tools like a bubble level bar, etc. right to your fingertips!
Simply import images of your room, and your art, and iartview allows you to view your artwork to scale on your wall! Do you know how many nail holes this app will save you?! If you're like me, a lot!
So you love the color of your sofa, but aren't really sure what other colors to bring into the room scheme with throw pillows, a rug, artwork, etc? Simply upload a photo of your room (or the sofa, etc) and the app will identify complementary colors! This is HUGE!!
HomeStyler is basically a dressing room for your home on your phone! Snap a photo of your room, and then you'll have the ability to try out wall colors, decor items, and different pieces of furniture to see what looks awesome and what doesn't work. Such a time saver!
Love the idea of a certain painting, but not sure if it would look good on the wall above your sofa? Simply take a picture of the wall in question, and with Curate you can virtually see any piece of artwork (provided you have a digital image of it) scaled correctly, on the wall!
Take a photo of your room, and then you can draw the dimensions of walls and flooring directly onto a capture of the room! This is so cool.
What design apps do you love??
Please share!!
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Spring Colors
As we get closer and closer to spring, incorporating spring colors and decorations into your home will welcome the change of seasons! One of the best parts of spring is how fresh and new everything feels, so why not give your home a fresh, new feel as well? Keep reading for ideas of how to bring spring colors into your home and springtime accessories.
Spring Colors
Nothing says spring like flowers. Not only will they make your home feel fresh, they can add a quick pop of color! If you don't like the idea of replacing flowers every time they die, you might want to consider bringing in some artificial flowers. They'll last forever and keep your home looking seasonally appropriate. These poppies, amaryllis, and hydrangea arrangements are so pretty. If flowers aren't your thing, what about a wreath you could leave up all year round?
Some colorful vases or small accessories will help bring a pop of color into your home without making any major changes! I love this yellow vase with yellow flowers - isn't it just the most cheery thing? This yellow vase would be perfect to recreate this look. If you're looking for some other small items to add a touch of spring and some spring colors into your home check out this vase, these birds, and these rabbit bookends. You'll have your home looking like spring in no time!
One of the easiest ways to add spring colors into your home without cluttering it up is to switch out or add some colorful pillows to your couch. Even just one or two bright pillows will make a difference! Some of my favorite pillows that are on my wishlist are here, here here, and here.
How are you bringing spring colors into your home this year?
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Red Bedrooms
Red is such a bold, exciting color that you may not initially think about incorporating it into your bedroom. If you love red and want to bring it into your bedroom, don’t be afraid! There are plenty of ways to do it that will keep you room looking classy and comfortable. For ideas of how to do a red bedroom, check out some of our ideas below.
Red Bedrooms
via Alyssa Rosenheck
SHOP THE LOOK!
Similar rug, dresser, and bedding
SHOP THE LOOK!
Similar bed, lamp, and pillows here, here, and here
SHOP THE LOOK!
Similar bed, bench, and pillow
via Laurel Home
SHOP THE LOOK!
Similar bed
SHOP THE LOOK!
Similar bed and nightstand
Would you want to use any of these ideas in your bedroom?
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How To Space Hanging Shelves
Sometimes when you have a big, blank wall that you're feeling sick of the logical thing to do is act impulsively! You call your husband, have him stop on the way home from work at the hardware store for brackets and wood, and then whip up some floating shelves the minute he gets home to spice the room up! I've realized I work best when I don't think things through too much:) What are the rules of thumb when it comes to shelf hanging, you might ask? I had to learn this lesson the hard way (which meant lots of holes in the wall!) There are two magical measurements you need to remember that will help ensure all of your shelf hanging expeditions are successful....
1. Don't hang anything below 54" from the ground.
2. Space the shelves 12-15" apart (from bottom of shelf to bottom of the next shelf).
That's all she wrote. You're welcome!
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How to Organize Your Closet
Once you know how to organize your closet quickly and efficiently, you’ll be able to keep your things in order! I don’t know about you, but there is something so discouraging about digging through a pile of shoes to find a belt or dumping out an entire drawer to find a pair of matching socks. Below we’ve listed a couple of easy ways to get your closet clean and organized.
How to Organize Your Closet
via Who What Wear
- First thing’s first. DECLUTTER. You’ve got to get rid of everything and anything you don’t wear, use, or need. If it doesn’t fit or is something you simply don’t wear, donate it. If it is torn or stained, toss it. You’ll be shocked how much easier it is to keep things in order when you don’t have things you don’t need spilling out.
- Once you’ve cleared out your space and have minimized your closet’s contents, decide where you want everything to go. Things you use the most should be at eye level, things you somewhat use should be on the floor, and your least used items should be stored on the shelf above.
via Unfancy
- Use boxes, bins, or baskets to store smaller items and keep them separate from everything else. Each item of clothing should have its own hanger or shelf to live on and if you can fit a shoe rack in, do it! Seriously, the more consistent you are in keeping things where they belong, the easier it will be to keep your closet organized.
- One of the most important things in keeping your closet organized long term is making sure each thing you use is easy to put away. If you have to take the lid off a box every time you want a pair of socks, you’ll probably end up just tossing them into the bottom of your closet. Keep things simple to keep it organized.
So there you go! Simple enough, but why is it always so tricky to keep up? I’ve started cleaning out and organizing my closet every couple of months and it’s helped keep things under control. Have you found any tricks or tips that help you keep your closet organized?
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Living Room with Sectional Ideas
Sectionals are some of the most comfortable, cozy living room seating options. The trouble with sectionals can be getting the layout of your room to work. Unlike a sofa and a loveseat, sectionals are one large piece of furniture and can feel bulky and oversized if positioned incorrectly. However, with the right size of sectional (make sure you measure before you buy!) and the right layout, your living room will be the most comfortable place in the house! Check out some living room with sectional ideas below for layout and decoration inspiration.
Living Room with Sectional Ideas
via Worthminer
via Kellynan
via Nanette Wong
via Rustic & Woven
RC Willey has so many sectional options, you'll be sure to find something that you'll love! Check them out here.
How have you incorporated a sectional in your living room?
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Trend Alert: Favorite RC Willey Products Right Now
RC Willey brick and mortar stores are located in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and California---and since I live on the east coast it's not very often that I get to visit any of them! This past month I was in California on personal business, and decided to visit the new Sacramento Delta Shores store. The store had been open for a total of two hours (it was literally opening day!), but I was blown away by how amazing and put together everything looked! The whole time I walked around I found myself wishing outloud that I had an RC Willey in Virginia I could pop into frequently, and spend all of my money at, no doubt! So for all of you people that live in close proximity to one of our stores- go walk around! I found lots and lots of treasures. Here are a few products that I loved..... (I couldn't find links for all of them, but linked the ones that I did find!)
Check out all of these awesome accessories! Great pots, baskets, and pillows, to boot!
This black metal bed paired with this gorgeous bench is everything!
I love the mixture wood, leather and big upholstered pillows on this Magnolia Home Black Leather Sofa!
Pillows, pillows, pillows for days!! And they were super cute I might add.
This cream linen chair is not in the cards for me right now (hello, three little children with sticky hands!), but it could be for you!
Such a sweet twin bed- would work for a boy or a girl!
Doesn't this love seat look so chic? Loving the feminine round edges.
Again, I think I'm diggin' black beds right now, and this canopy bed is so so good.
Isn't this Floral Garden Wing Back Chair happy? I literally don't think you could stay in a bad mood sitting in that baby!
While I wouldn't really consider the ornate detail on this Traditional Platinum Storage Floor Mirror my typical design style, this piece blew me away! It looks like a free standing mirror from the outside, but when you open the door, you get this........
HELLO!!!! I don't think the photo does the scale justice- this Traditional Platinum Storage Floor Mirror could hold more jewelry than one jewelry loving woman would ever even know what to do with!!
This is such a great Brown Wing Back Accent Chair.
I'm not entirely sure what the inside looked like, but I'm loving this red dresser of sorts.
Isn't this the cutest accessory? I would love that on my playroom wall holding all of our little boy tools. Or cars. Or dinosaurs.
Loving this simple Mocha Brown Writing Desk.
While I like the chair, I LOVE the pillow! The other side says, "99% of the things you worry about never happen". Amen.
Aren't these skulls quirky and fun? I think they are great year-round!
Those pillows!!! Need I say more??
Now don't walk, RUN to your nearest RC Willey store location to find your own gems!!
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