DIY Christmas Card: Design for {FREE}

This year, I decided to approach Christmas cards a little differently. In the past, I used various website based companies who offered mega discounts or were available through groupon. Last year, however, my order was EXTREMELY delayed & our Merry Christmas cards didn't arrive until after the New Year.

This year, I got exactly what I wanted, made them from home & picked them up about an hour later for about 15 cents a piece.

Check out this video for a tutorial on how I made these cute, money-saving holiday cards!

Once I picked up these puppies from our local drug store, the hubby helped me package them up in a festive card & envelope combo I found in the dollar section at Target.

And we used this custom stamp I ordered through a vendor on groopdealz.com !

He's the cutest, right??!

Gotta say.. for a total of $11-$12, we lucked out this year!

Coming SOON to a mailbox near you, friends!

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.

Refresh: Day THREE!!

I made it- HALLELUJAH!

I'll tell you what, in three short days I'm feeling pretty darn fabulous. I've truly enjoyed doing this refresh program, but am grateful that it was only three days long, given that this is my first ever cleanse. I can't wait to share with you my results!

Let me walk you through the highlights of my final day.

One of my favorite parts of this program is the requirement of herbal tea throughout the day. I personally am a hot tea lover, so implementing this was no issue for me; I don't, however, make time to drink this on a daily basis. I realize now that I definitely should!

I got a late start on my Saturday, but decided to stay on track with my cleanse.. even if it meant morning tea at 1:30!

Until Saturday afternoon, I had spent nearly the first 36 hours of my cleanse at home- partially because I work from home at the end of the week & also because it was COLD out and I didn't plan to change our of my PJs/slippers.

Despite being out and about, I planned my timeline for the day, packed what I needed to and hit the road. I decided to grace the nail salon for a shellac and Target for a 60 minute "stroll..." I like to think that my hobbies help the economy!

(I felt obligated to share this)

I didn't get a shot of my lunch this day, because I INHALED it as soon as I got home from my errands. My meal consisted of fresh blueberries [YUM], cucumber & hummus with my vanilla fresh shake.

I took my shake on the go while I ran out to take my love muffins for some exercise.

My FINAL refresh meal was another vanilla fresh shake (with lemon) and a veggie steam-fry: broccoli, asparagus, and red pepper cooked in olive oil and water sprinkled with some red pepper flakes! De.Lish.

 I definitely plan to do the refresh again! I feel that it would be something great to do for my body once per quarter. Nothing like a fresh start!

Results tomorrow <3 p="">