Ghoens Family Photos: What We WORE

Most of my readers know that Nate and I recently relocated to the Emerald Coast of Florida in September of this year. We moved to the far west end of Panama City Beach, which is located about 5 miles from this little community called Rosemary Beach that we've both fallen IN love with.

Forget the fact that the beach itself is completely breath taking & check out these GORGEOUS buildings! Stroll down the stone-paved streets through town square or pop into the one of a kind shops, delicious restaurants or wine bar. This place is a total gem, from the lush green courtyard to the European style buildings. It was a no brainer when we decided to choose a location for family photos.

SO, my point of this post wasn't to so subtly plug Rosemary Beach for your next family get away, but to talk about how we dressed for our photos on a budget!

Clearly, there wasn't a need for statement pieces when our location was so stunning and full of rich colors & various textures. We decided on neutrals so that our faces and the surroundings would pop!

In addition to picking a neutral color palette, we wanted to be COMFORTABLE in what we were wearing since Nate & I are goofballs in front of the camera!

Hers

Believe it or not, my sweater & denim were both Target snags! I paired them with simple jewelry (studs from J Crew Factory Outlet,  spiked bracelet and monogrammed necklace from groopdealz.com, gray stone bangle from Two Cumberland's online boutique) & classic wedges from... Charlotte Russe!

Each clothing item I have on was $25 each or less & is super versatile to wear with many other outfits.

His

First of all I think Nate's hair needs a shout out.. I mean, look at those locks {thanks to $1.99 pomade} :) This guy's pants were a total STEAL from the Banana Republic outlets & his shirt was also a mega bargain from the J Crew Factory outlet! The only splurge he has on are the Bullboxer boots that we got from DWS >>with a coupon<<.. and his Original Grain watch, which was a birthday gift. Heads up though, TJ Maxx has mens watches at awesome prices!

Don't get me wrong, we love boutique clothing and unique pieces.. but we also love spending our money wisely & on fun experiences! Next time you schedule family photos, don't stress too much about what you put on. Pick some classic pieces that you feel COMFORTABLE in and add some accessories that are uniquely YOU!

Have some tips to share? Drop them below!

Happy Thursday, friends..

Master Bedroom Update on a Budget!

Here's the promised post about our master bedroom update {on a budget}!!

So if you know me well, you know that I LOVE all things pottery barn, restoration hardware, crate and barrel & so on. BUT, as much as I love the looks of their furniture and design, we're just simply not at a place in our life that we can afford that kind of bedroom update.. and if I'm being totally honest, I don't think I could bring myself to pay that much even IF we had the $$.

So let me clue you in on where I HUNT for quality items at a lower price. Just know that you MUST be willing to take your time looking for what you want and do your research on how it's made, but it's so worth it!!

These are my GO TO places to hunt for furniture and home decor!

Ross

TJ Maxx

Target

Groopdealz.com

Overstock

Not only did these stores & sites help us update our bedroom, but the majority of my house the past couple of years!

Here was my original inspiration with a heavy price tag::

Gorgeous, right???

I was envisioning something simple, with clean lines, a little rustic, slightly mismatched & a smidge romantic.

I wanted something I could create with a few pieces and add to over time or swap out bits & pieces as I felt like it.

Here is where we're at now!

I want you to know that wall color can make a HUGE difference in how your room looks- it can make your furniture look different in color and your room appear LARGER.

The house we just recently moved into was built over the summer and by the time we found it, the walls were already painted. I have to say that I'm not much of a tan gal myself, don't love the yellow undertones, but I can work with them! I chose items that would work in the room we have now, with the paint color that was there, but that will also transition into our next home with walls the color I choose- probably a faint grey!

So let's get down to the nitty gritty.

I'm going to show you what we wanted & what we ended up finding!

What We Wanted

(Pottery Barn, $1299, link HERE)

What We Got

(Overstock.com, less than $400, link HERE)

What We Wanted:

(Restoration Hardware, $796 each, link HERE)

What We Got:

(Overstock.com, $139 each, link HERE)

What We Wanted:

(Crate and Barrel, $170, link HERE)

What We Got:

(Overstock.com, $59..plus I got an additional % off, link HERE)

What We Wanted:

(Pottery Barn, $140 each, link HERE)

What We Got:

(TJ Maxx STORE, $40 each WITH shade.. no link,

but they always have a version of the mercury lamps on the shelves!)

What We Wanted:

(Pottery Barn, $249 each, link HERE)

What We Got:

(Target, $25 each, link HERE)

What We Wanted:

(Pottery Barn, $49, link HERE)

(Pottery Barn, $35, link HERE)

What We Got:

(groopdealz.com for the monogrammed case $15

Ross STORE for the faux fur, pattern lumbar and round tufted pillow- all under $12 each)

What We Wanted:

(Restoration Hardware, $159, link HERE)

What We Got:

(Target, $45, link HERE)

What We Wanted:

(Pottery Barn, $49, link HERE)

What We Got:

(TJ Maxx, $10, no link, but they carry

these in store ALL the time)

FYI::The little trinkets like candles, moss balls, picture frames, etc were from TJ Maxx and Target!

Friends, you don't have to dump mega bucks into a room to make it beautiful! Hop on to pinterest or some of your favorite websites to draw inspiration- save photos in one place. Then slowly start looking at other websites for items that compare & look for COUPONS or wait to see if they go sale during a holiday weekend.

Master Bedroom on a Budget

Champagne taste on a beer budget- story of my life 🍾😂🍻

As a kid, I worked for my $$. I had a babysitting job as soon as I was old enough. Paid for my first car and phone bill, etc. It wasn't that my parents refused to help me along the way, the resources just weren't available. I learned from my momma early on to stretch a buck and search for a bargain! {Love that lady!} Growing up in a frugal family carried over to my adult life.. FOR sure. 💸

Nate gets annoyed all the time when I bug him about not wasting food, hunting for gas 2 cents cheaper or waiting for things to go on sale-- BUT on those occasions that I bring home BOGO deals, find things for a steal of a price or choose Target over Nordstrom, I'd say he's a happy camper when he SEES my savings!

We very recently moved to a new home in Panama City Beach, FL and decided to update our master bedroom! I was stressed about how much it might cost, but was DETERMINED to get what we wanted for how much we wanted 👊 Commence decor hunt!

I'm going to walk you through our master bedroom and share with you my FAVORITE places to find home decor and furniture..

Stay tuned this week for the rest of this post! 

{holy} stitch fix, batman !

Over the past few months, I've heard bits about this website called::

"Stitch Fix"

[[  check it out here ]]

When I first saw posts about it on Facebook, I assumed it would be WAY too expensive.

Nate and I had looked into signing him up for "Trunk Club" in the past, until we discovered that the average trunk could cost $1000+. Woah, right? I kept on scrolling and didn't think about it anymore.

Recently, I actually saw some photos of the pieces that were sent to a gal on Facebook and figured I should at least investigate the situation. I realized that you could actually "choose your budget" for each clothing category and decided to give it a shot.

Let me walk you through how it works!

1) Take a Personal Style Quiz

~creating a profile will help your stylist get to know you~

2) Receive 5 Personalized Pieces at your Doorstep

~try on all of the goodies hand-picked according to your style and budget~

3) Keep What You Love & Send Back the Rest

~yep, only pay for what you keep!~

FYI the process of setting up your profile is SO fun..

You can get SUPER specific with your measurements, how you like your clothing to fit, pieces you need to add to your wardrobe and budget for each category (layering pieces, pants, accessories, etc). You can even link your pinterest to your account so they can SEE what you like!!

Look at My Stitch Fix Inspiration Board

I am waiting EAGERLY for my first stitch fix to arrive {on Monday!}.. so I will be SURE to keep everyone posted.

I figure month one will be more of testing the waters:: did I list my sizing correctly, have they gotten a grasp of my style, do I want them to focus on certain pieces in the future..

Feel free to give it a shot for a month, you get to choose how often you would like your "fix" :)

Give it a Whirl && let me know what you think!

XO,

lindsey grace