decor – Preciously Paired

Budget Friendly Holiday Dinner Party

posted in decor, diy, food, holidays, inspiration, money saving tips, party, Uncategorized by Hanna on December 9, 2015

When the holidays roll around it usually involves parties, food and entertainment. All of that can get a little overwhelming and pricey when you are the one hosting and start feeling like it has to look like it came out of magazine. What we are coming to find out is that you can still get a great look that will impress all your guests from just shopping your house, incorporating a little DIY and shopping dollar stores or discounted items. Also fancy, plastic dinnerware makes clean up a dream!

Here are the details on our Christmas dinner party and some tips that can help you!

– Since there was going a lot of people coming for dinner, to keep the cost low we decided to go with a rustic theme to incorporate elements that we could get right outside our door. We gathered pine cones to use in our centerpieces and branches from trees to make twig start place holders. I kept mine to use on my Christmas tree this year or you could let your guests take them as a little party favor to hang on their trees.

-For all the center pieces we shopped our houses for vases, candles and candlestick holders. Basically grab anything that could look good on the table and help add some fun interest and fill the space! The greenery and cranberries we used in the vases we got on sale at a number of craft stores but you could easily gather those things from outside as well the day of the party.

– If you want to know a secret for an easy and SUPER cheap charger 12×12 craft paper is the answer! We got 6 sheets of this metallic bronze paper for $1! To add a little color to our table and break up the layering of the plates we added some burlap ribbon with fringe ends.

-For dinner we decided to do buffet style so we created a quick menu in Word and got it printed out for $5. A chalkboard and some chalk would also word perfect for this! The sign we hung above the food table we created with a font we liked and cut it out using a Silhouette machine and then strung the words up with some twine.

Now lets move to the best part..the food! We’re really excited to introduce you to Megan and Nathan from the blog “Half Cup of Snark“. Hop on over to their blog to see what was on the menu for our holiday party, to enjoy some witty, food talk and get some A-MA-ZING recipes to wow your guest’s taste buds this Christmas!

Lastly, we all know that the decorations and food for a party are just part of planning but looming in the back of our minds is always, “What am I going to wear??” Well we have you covered for that as well. See how our plaid peplum top and window pane swing dress are perfect for any party, including all the ones for this holiday season! We’ll just call this the post that just keeps giving. 😉

Now with all your bases covered for hosting a bomb holiday party we wish you luck on all your family and friend gatherings!

We’d love to hear some tips and tricks you have tried for saving money hosting a holiday party while still wowing your guest!!

Shared Boy/Girl Nursery | Preciously Paired

Shared Boy/Girl Nursery on a Small Budget

posted in baby, crafts, decor, diy, home, inspiration, kids, lifestyle, money saving tips, thrifted by Sara on June 22, 2015

Today is officially my due date, and still no baby. Now that the date has come and almost gone I’m not quite sure what to do with myself! With no date to look forward too or end in sight, it’s just a big waiting game now. But the good news is that both me and the baby are healthy and feeling good. I actually feel really good and energetic, so I thought I’d put this extra time to good use; starting first with the shared nursery reveal that I’ve been promising for weeks!

Currently my husband is in the middle of graduate school, so needless to say we are still living the “poor college student” life. While we live in a small apartment and on a very meager income, I never let that stop me from making my home a beautiful place where we can relax and enjoy being. And believe it or not, it doesn’t require a lot of money or time to do so. In fact, this whole nursery makeover only cost me a grand total of $180! This included both the kid’s bedding and most of the room decor (I already had all of the furniture pieces).

I’ll admit that putting together a cohesive space for baby boy and a toddler girl was rather difficult considering there were many limitations, but in the end it somehow just came together and I’m really in the love with it!

Here is a little break down of everything in the room:

Crib – From Walmart which I already had from baby #1

Twin bed – A “hand-me-down” from when I was a girl

Dresser – Bought at a garage sale several years ago

Vintage Baby Quilts – Both baby quilts I made myself using this simple patter by Yoyomama Disigns. I made my daughter’s quilt several years ago when she was a baby and loved the design so much that I decided to make baby brother one as well!

Crib Sheet – Target

Crib Skirt – Made by me using this simple tutorial by Oleander and Palm

Pom Pom Comforter – Made by me. I first fell in love with this pom pom comforter from PB Teen, but I didn’t have anywhere near $169 in my budget for it. However, I was able to make one up for nearly an eighth of the cost. I simple bought a down comforter from Target ($20) and sewed on some pom poms I made up myself.

Twin Sheets – Kohl’s (got on sale for $15!)

Quilted Pillow – Made by me using scraps from my daughter’s quilt and an old pillow I had on hand

Cloud Pillow – Made by me (tutorial coming soon)

Wooden Rocking Horse – Thrifted

Wire Book Baskets – Large one (Thrifted), 2 smaller ones (Walmart). I gave each a coat of spray paint and then mounted them to the wall using cable hooks which I got from Home Depot.

Rug – Thrifted

Alphabet Print – Free printable from Mr. Printables (I got the frame from Goodwill and spray painted it with some leftover paint I had from the wire baskets)

Sweet Dreams Print – Free printable from This Little Street

Hopefully my next post with include a sweet new baby, but for now I hope you enjoyed a view of this cute nursery! Can’t wait till our little guy can enjoy it too!

XOXO,

Sara

Let’s Talk Home Decor

posted in decor, Uncategorized by Hanna on February 23, 2015

One of our main goals with keeping up on the blog is for our friends and followers to get to know us better and get a glimpse into the everyday life besides just our latest products, which we actually have some more coming to the shop soon! Stay tuned!

But today I want to switch gears from fashion and sewing and talk a little bit about another personal project of mine I have going on; more on the interior design side. When my husband and I bought our house I was really excited to have a place that was actually mine that I could do whatever I wanted with. Our first “big” project was giving our guest bathroom a makeover. After that project and settling into our house more, it hit me that I don’t even really know what I want in my house and realized that interior design was a LOT harder then I thought it was going to be. Maybe it’s because I’m such a perfectionist and I like to get things perfect the first time. Whatever the reason, I was not enjoying myself and was constantly second guessing my choices. The problem was not having things I liked. I’ve seen so many spaces on pinterest, the HGTV channel and in friends homes that I saw and LOVED. In fact I appreciate so many different things and styles that I guess the real problem I was having was narrowing it down to what style I saw for not only myself in but my family living in.

For example, we all know that white anything; furniture, kitchens, walls etc, is all the craze right now and I’m right on board with that craze when I see a beautiful, bright room with white couches or cabinets. However, at the same time something made me feel uneasy about it. If it was just me I could totally see myself in a little “all white” cottage, snuggling up on my white couch with a good book but having kids and a husband who love all things outdoors I could see myself going crazy trying to get them to keep all that stuff clean. Let’s be honest, I can barely keep up with all the house cleaning as it is and having white things that just accentuate the dirtiness even more. Not to mention, I have the worst track record of getting stains out of things, needless to say, I would be a stressed out mess.

I think I’ve finally come to terms with not needing to join the latest fad to have a bright and welcoming home to live in, especially, not when I know I would always be stressing out about keeping it all clean and looking good. (FYI I’m a stresser. I stress about lots of things and mostly little, insignificant things so I don’t need one more thing to make me more so!) I also realized that I don’t need my house to look super styled up and look straight out of a magazine for it to make me happy living in it.

So now that that’s out of the way…We’re starting our first, big project that involves an actual contractor! Another thing which I’ve come to terms with is that I don’t need to feel like I need to do everything myself just because I admire people that can. I’m learning that on certain things I don’t mind calling in an expert and letting them do what they do best or just buying something instead of taking that amount of time to do it myself. Boy have I learned quite a lot in the first year of home ownership! I still won’t say I 100% know what I want and what style I am looking for but I am starting to feel a little more comfortable about the choices I make and what is going to work best for my whole family while still loving it!

Let’s finally get to the project…our family room.

Besides some basic room updates like carpet and baseboard we’re mostly focusing on one wall of the family room that has the fireplaces. This wall with the fireplace is really the best wall for a TV but with the mantel there and all the stone we haven’t been able to do that. We figured why not make it more functional for us and in a way that suites us too. So of course the first, necessary step for those needing a nudge in coming up with ideas was jumping on Pinterest to look for some inspiration. I came across this photo that fit almost perfectly with what seemed like a right fit for us.

So far it’s a really slow process. After weeks of trying, we finally got our contractor to come over and talk details with us. We’re slowly getting the ball rolling and I’m hoping by the end of spring we get this finished and under budget…talking like a true novice at home projects haha! I will keep you posted on the updates!

What style or feel have you chosen for your home? Did you struggle with coming up with it? Any advice?

XOXO,

Hanna

Introducing our Valentines Prints and Custom Wedding Illustrations

posted in decor, holidays, printable, shop by Hanna on January 30, 2015

I’ve mentioned this a couple times on the blog, but I have a hard time figuring out what to do for these smaller holidays to make them memorable and fun. As sad as it is to say, Valentines is usually an after thought now that we have kids and after just getting past the bigger holidays like Christmas and New Years. I think I get stuck on doing something that is going to be so useful and meaningful that I end up taking too long and not doing anything. Yes, there have been a few Valentines where I haven’t done anything for my husband! It’s pretty sad. That’s why I get really excited about what we do when holidays come up where you want to give something that special with a personal touch.

With our custom illustrations it’s a fun spin on the average gift of a simple picture and yet is still personal. Sara and I thought it was so sweet of a husband that took the initiative and ordered a custom, wedding illustration for his newly married wife as a gift for this Valentines Day. So after making one for myself, we wanted to share the love and offer this idea for those out there along with any other custom, illustration for 20% off!

Also to add to the fun of Valentines Day we added some illustrated, Valentines prints and cards to our shop that would be an equally fun and inexpensive gift to give. These are also on sale for 20%! So hop over to our shop and order your own personalized Valentines gift! The sale will last until Monday night.

Metal Pumpkin Tutorial

posted in crafts, decor, diy, fall, tutorial by Sara on October 27, 2014

It has been raining non-stop for the past week, and both me and my daughter have been sick. So naturally we have stayed nice and cozy indoors, sipping hot chocolate, eating lots of soup, watching episode after episode of Gilmore Girls, and crafting. Yep, this is the life… well except the being sick part… and it would be nice to actually see the sun once in a while.

Anyway, before I got sick, I attended a little blogging event at my local Orchard Supply Hardware store where I got to meet some wonderful women and learn some fun holiday craft ideas including this cute pumpkin made from pipe hanger strapping. It was too cute not to share! Besides it’s classy design, it only costs about $5 to make and you can finish it in less than 30 minutes. It having been a while since my last blog tutorial, I completely forgot to take step-by-step pictures, but this project is fairly foolproof. Believe me, it is a piece of cake! All you’ll need are the supplies listed below:

** Note: Pipe hanger strapping also comes in copper, which makes for a nice shiny orange pumpkin.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the strapping into pieces at your desired length using snips (or anything you have that will cut metal). I cut mine by measuring out 10 of the big holes, then cut as close to the small hole making a straight edge.

2. Once you’ve cut all your straps, bend each one into a horseshoe shape so that both ends of the straps will stack flat on top of each other. (refer to images below for a better look). Since the corners of the straps are sharp, I’d recommend using a pair of gloves for this part or a pair of needle nose pliers.

3. Now, screw 1 nut onto the very end of the threaded rod, then follow it with a washer. Then begin to layer the straps onto the rod and arrange them evenly around it. I used 7 straps, but you may use as many as you’d like.

4. Once you’ve added all your straps, place another washer followed by a nut on top of the layered straps. Twist tight to secure the straps in place.

5. Next, thread another nut about 1.25″ – 1.5″ down from the top of the rod, followed by a washer. This makes a stopping point for your straps. Then thread the straps onto the top part of the rod.

6. After all the straps are threaded onto the rod, clinch them down with the last washer and nut. You may want to use a crescent wrench to make sure all the nuts are tight. At this point I played with the shape of the straps a bit more to get that perfect pumpkin shape.

You should now have something that resembles a pumpkin! You can now spray paint it, or simply leave it the way it is. I chose to spray paint mine using a Ivory Satin spray paint to better match the rest of my home’s decor. Then I added some curly twine to the stem of the pumpkin. To do this, I dipped pieces of twine in a mixture of Elmers glue and water, then wrapped in around a No.2 pencil to dry. Once dry, I glued the pieces of curled twine onto the the stem. You could also use wire, fabric, or leaves to decorate the top.

Foolproof right? It may seem a bit confusing at times on paper, but once you get into the process of making it, it all comes together quite easily. Just keep bending and twisting until it is the way you like it… you really can’t mess it up. There is no right or wrong way with these types of things. However, please feel free to leave a comment or email us if you have any questions or if something in the instructions seem unclear.

Happy Fall!!

Friday Finds: Woodland Creatures

posted in crafts, decor, Friday Finds, kids by Sara on October 24, 2014

With all the changes and new ideas happening over here lately, sadly our blog has taken a back seat. While our shop is our main focus right now, there is so much about our blog that we just couldn’t give up; one being that we love sharing about amazing things, whether it be our own creation or someone else’s. So, we decided it was time to bring back Friday Finds as we love sharing with you some of our favorite things around the web, and showing support to other talented crafters and shops.

I’m dying over all these cute little woodland creatures! We absolutely love playful/whimsical designs and nothing reads it more perfectly than these woodland creatures in all their different design aesthetics. Can you believe this dear head is something you can make yourself?! Hannah from We Lived Happily Ever After (the talented creator) also has step-by-step tutorials on how to make a DIY fox head and a DIY buffalo head that are nothing short of amazing! And if you’re not already completely in love with the owl felt mask, there are many more adorable masks over at Opposite of Far. Don’t even get me started on the crocheted fox! Would it be completely cheesy to decorate my whole house and replace my entire wardrobe with woodland creatures? Because really, I’m half tempted to… ok maybe I’ll just do the kids rooms.

But seriously, check out some of these shops/blogs behind these cute little critters- you won’t be sorry!

Also, you only have one week left to get our “Trick or Treat” Halloween print before it goes away! Visit our shop to get yours today!

Craft Space "Must Haves" | Preciously Paired

My Craft Space “Must Haves”

posted in crafts, decor, home, inspiration, organization, Uncategorized by Hanna on October 10, 2014

For of us “crafters” we all seek for a space to to call our own to store all our supplies, be inspired and do projects. With each of us that space can vary. For me it started out as a small, portable sewing cabinet, then moved to my daughter’s closet, then graduated to a spare room I shared with my husband’s office until we had another baby and finally to my latest craft area in our basement. Each space had pros and cons, but it is what it is and most importantly it is MY space to do what I love!

No matter the space I designate to store my supplies and do projects I’ve come to find my “must haves” for the space.

1. Good lighting. If I had it my way my craft space would include large windows letting in lots of beautiful, natural light. Why don’t we add in an ocean view when we’re at it?! However, this is rarely the case for most people, including me. My craft space is located in our basement and even though these pictures don’t reflect it the lighting is terrible and dark! Right now I have a small lamp to light up my work space but I plan on adding some lighting underneath the top shelves to brighten things up and help me see what I’m actually trying to do.

2. Organization. Let’s face it, no one wants to do a project when you have to go digging for every supply you need and a in ton of different areas around the house. I’ve been there before and it takes me twice as long to complete a project which sometimes I then shy away from doing them all together. My favorite craft space organizers are pegboards, they are fabulous! Storage boxes are another must have and we all know that Ikea is your one stop shop for organization, especially when it comes to storage boxes.

3. Inspiration. When I’m in my element doing projects I like to be surrounded by things that inspire me. This is where my hanging clipboards come into place. Whenever I see something that inspires me in a magazine or there is a quote I like I clip it to my clipboards.

4. Colorful and fun accents. No matter where my craft area is, it can always be brighten up with fun colors and accents. One way I like to add color is through the things I organize with. I painted my pegboard, added some patterned paper to some of my storage boxes and spray painted the lids to my mason jars. Another great way I add color is through some fun decorative art. I scored mine from the Esty shop Poppy Mae. Her “Hello Lovely” and “Love” prints I have displayed in my craft space are just two of the dozens of cute and colorful print she has. Here’s another one of my favorites that is motivational. I recommend checking them out!

So now my craft space is organized, beautified and ready to go for all my projects!

Where is your craft space located and what are your “must haves” for it?

Category: decor