Our Favorite Laundry Tips and Tricks

I'm addicted to buying cute, stylish little girls clothing.

There. I said it.

Okay, I've actually mentioned this before in a post, but the reason I'm bringing it up again now, is because with ALL of those adorable new threads, comes a whole different issue...

MORE LAUNDRY TO DO!

I'm not a Mom of boys, but I hear that keeping up on their laundry pile is just as hard, if not harder than a house full of little girls, because of how dirty and messy they tend to get when playing. So whether it's 5 outfit changes a day for a "picky princesses", grimy, stained duds from an active, curious little man or just the weekly sheet and towel washing responsibilities; we ALL dread doing the laundry at some point... am I right?

That being said, I thought I'd share a few tips and tricks that we use to help us alleviate some of our laundry doin' stresses around here.

While there may be that one person in the house that takes care of most of the laundry duties, having everyone pitch in during the week to help make the job for that person easier, can make all the difference.

Designate a laundry hamper to each room: This makes collecting dirty clothes and linens a lot simpler. For a long time our kids were so small that I didn't have hampers in their rooms, and just walked their dirty clothes straight to our laundry room after changing them, but now that they're getting much bigger they dress and undress themselves, resulting in clothes everywhere!

Our solution of having large, inexpensive hampers tucked away into their closets helps to keep dirty clothes clutter off the ground, and creates an easier clothing roundup when it's time to do laundry.

Utilize your little people and teach them while they're young: Around our house Cason does all of the overseeing of laundry getting done, but delegates other jobs within his laundry routine to our kids. From as young as three years old he's taught our girls how to separate colors into darks and lights, change things from the washer to the dryer, lay delicate shirts over our portable clothing racks to dry and put their own clothes away after they're done being folded.

We feel that kids should help with as many tasks around the house as possible. Not because we're trying to be mean or strict, or even because Cason and I don't want to do all the work, but because it teaches our kids responsibility and HOW to do things for themselves so that they're not completely clueless when they grow up and have to do simple day-to-day duties like this on their own.

How to Print your Instagram Photos - Persnickety Prints

I'm answering the burning question today of :

"How and WHERE do you print your Instagram photos!?"

This is a question we get asked on a weekly basis, so I thought it was definitely time to address it properly. Let's get down to business...

First of all, for those of you who don't know... YES! You CAN print your Instagram feed into actual, hold-able photographs! Here are a couple of important things to note though:

1. A camera phone picture, is a camera phone picture.

What does that mean? Well... basically, for the most part, even though sometimes close, Instagram photos rarely, if ever, are going to have the same, crisp quality of a photo that you would have shot with a high-end digital camera. This is the truth no matter WHERE you print your images from. Your Instagram photos, especially if you add cool photo effects to them, will probably turn out a bit grainy... and THAT'S OKAY!

I feel like semi-grainy, Instagram photos that I have printed out are just, if not MORE exciting to me than perfectly pixelated professional ones. My Instagram photos tell stories, help me relive that quick, special memory and for me, there's something really fun about the fact that my kids can look back at them one day and say... "Oh my gosh, remember when people printed photos from Instagram and they looked like this?"

2. Having your Instagram photos IN HAND is more thrilling than you might think.

I've been known to shed a happy tear or two when my Instagram prints come in the mail. Even though I'm the one taking the photo and editing it, the feeling of actually holding that moment in your hands is something that can completely brighten my day. It's tangible. It's something that I can look at anytime I want, without holding an iPhone to my face. It's a memory OUT of my device and in front of me to enjoy.

Ideas for Creating Great Curb Appeal - Homes.com

'Tis the season for chatting about yard work, and more importantly curb appeal; so that's what we're discussing over at Homes.com this month! As we confessed last week, we may not be the best at maintaining the awesomest lawn in town, but curb appeal is SO MUCH MORE than that! Think... outside decorating!

Adding color, tidying up your flowerbeds and displaying a little personality to the exterior of your house and it’s surroundings, is the fun part about being a homeowner. The possibilities are endless, so over at Homes.com we're covering four simple, big-impact ways to really add pizzazz to your property this year.

If you have an older home, or live in an area where you experience extreme weather, the exterior of your house may need a bit more attention than just periodical touch-ups. Adding a fresh coat of paint to your stucco, siding or trim can really punch up your curb appeal. It’s also a great way to attract homebuyers, if you’re looking to sell. The condition of the outside of your home will probably be the first thing that potential homebuyers will see when looking for a new place, so make sure that yours is clean, fresh and stands out from the rest.

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Continue reading this post here...

Our Yard Confession + Tips for Getting your Lawn Ready for Spring & Summer

If you could have the perfect weather... what would it be?

Mine is sunny, with white puffy clouds, 70 degrees and a slight warm breeze.

Well guess what? We've had an entire WEEK of weather like that here, and have been soaking up every minute of it.

I found Emberly on the front lawn yesterday morning, reading a book out loud and bathing in the sunshine. It made me smile. I love when my kiddos spend lots of time outside.

 There was only one day that it rained a bit... but even then, the colors that were left behind, made that tiny, little rainstorm totally worth it

:)

Like I mentioned in our post this past Monday, our cousins are all in town for Spring break, so we decided, since it was so nice, to take in a little hiking while they were here. Honestly, it's still a bit wet and muddy; not ideal hiking conditions YET... but it was so nice to just be outside again, letting the kids run around and spend some time together.

Spring is by far my most favorite time of the year, but the only problem is... it comes and goes so quickly! Don't get me wrong, one of the best things about living in Utah is having a good dose of all 4 seasons to experience each year, but this usually means that the ones you REALLY love (like Spring and Fall) tend to fly by a lot faster.

:(

... this is where our confession comes in ...

Right before and during the first part of Spring is the BEST time to get your yard ready for the warm Summer months... right? Well ya know what? I don't WANT to spend time working on my yard when it's beautiful outside and I could be picnic-ing or hiking with my family! It would be different if we had a small little yard to keep up, but that's not the case. Our yard is HUGE, and we have to spend a good part (if not most) of our Saturdays whipping things back into shape after just one week of growth. When we built our home on this lot 6 years ago, we thought we were super slick for getting all this awesome land and covering it with nice, green grass.

NEWSFLASH: The bigger your yard, the more TIME you have to spend keeping it up!

ugh

Between work, projects, blogging, kids and their extra curricular activities, we barely have time to keep up on the INSIDE of our house... and let's get real, nobody is good at everything and yard work is definitely our weakest/most hated chore when it comes to being a homeowner. I can't tell you how many times we've had the following conversation...

ok, ok, this isn't really a conversation we've had, but yet I feel that there is some truth behind this cartoon, when it comes to Cason's silent, comforting, calming ways... and the topic of the yard.

Ideas and Guidelines to Mixing & Matching Patterns in your Home

Have you ever pulled a picture out of a magazine or seen a room on one of those home makeover shows and wondered... "How do they get it to look so 'put-together' and decorated?"

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Well, I think you'd be surprised to find out that about 90% of the reason we feel so drawn to a space, is because of all the beautiful finishing touches, patterns, colors and textures; something that all of us can duplicate easily with just a few rules in mind. Today I want to focus on pattern mixing and how you can incorporate color and movement into your space, without overwhelming a room.

The Power of Three:

Whether it's shelf decor, pillow placement or planting shrubs, odd numbered placement of objects just looks more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

1. 2. 3

The same rule applies when mixing patterns for a space. Experts say that typically, you should have at least 3 different patterns going on in one space to make it interesting. So how do you pick the right three patterns for your room? Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind.

Making it Lovely

Color my Room with MyColortopia by Glidden

This past year we've talked quite a bit about Glidden's awesome tools from their MyColortopia site.

If you're new and haven't had a chance to visit and explore, basically, MyColortopia is a site full of great ideas on how to decorate with color and bring your house to life, with tips and tricks shared by lots of your favorite bloggers. It's a destination where people who are easily overwhelmed by interior design decisions and painting can get advice, guidance and inspiration... and no matter how awesome we think we are, we ALL fall into the "overwhelmed category" with room makeovers from time to time, am I right?

MyColortopia offers a few really cool tools you can use to help you plan out your next room makeover. One we posted about before was the My Life, My Colors tool, to help you find out what color schemes best represent YOU, based on a few multiple choice questions that you answer about your personality and lifestyle.  Another great resource that we shared was the Show Your Colors feature. This was awesome because it lets any homeowner submit their before and after photos from spaces they've redone in their house, so they can share it with others! You know me, I LOVE a good before and after... and I love lookin' in on other people and how they live.
:)

 

So now I'm REALLY excited to show you this brand new tool that MyColortopia released called Color my Room. Guys... it's freakin' AWESOME! Since our little laundry room is still a blank canvas and we have yet to do much to it since the last time we talked about it, I thought it would be fun to play around with this new color tool to get a few different looks.

A Few Trendy Patterns from 2012

As the year comes to an end I wanted to take a look back at a few of this years hottest, trendiest patterns that I loved the most, along with some ideas on how we all incorporated them into our homes!

Modern Floral:

This isn't your Grandmothers flower print with washed out pinks and yellows. We're seeing bright oranges, reds, deep grays and kelly green. Although still soft and beautiful, the modern floral print is full of shape, movement and the perfect choice in pattern for adding lots of personality and a splash of color into your space.

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Greek Key:

If you're into more clean-line graphic patterns, then this one was for you. The Greek key design is a decorative border and sometimes allover pattern constructed from a continuous line, shaped into a repeated motif. It definitely follows more of a preppy or modern look but used in the right color it can lend itself well to a contemporary style too.

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DIY Fireplace Makeovers, Faux Mantels & Shelves

Christmas is almost here and that means LOTS of decorating! While WE don't have a mantel to decorate (boohoo), I know that a LOT of you do, and since fireplaces are usually the major focal point in a room I thought we'd share a few really great ideas on how you can freshen yours up this holiday season so that your decor really stands out!

Don't have a fireplace or mantel? Keep reading... we cover that too.

:)

Painting your Brick:
Although brick is beautiful and classic in lots of homes, sometimes it doesn't exactly fit your style. A great way to get a completely different look, without having to spend a lot of time on demolition and materials cost, is to simply paint your brick. White seems to be the trend lately, but any shade of medium or light gray would also look beautiful.

Decorating Obsessed

My Life and Kids

Building-out Around the Brick:
If you're still not satisfied with a mostly brick fireplace, you can opt to build out around it. Using inexpensive MDF material you can design a high-end looking fireplace on a small budget. This technique also helps to give your mantel more bulk and space for those fun decor items.

The Lettered Cottage

Decorating with Nature for Thanksgiving

I'm totally pumped for Thanksgiving!

Even though we've had our Fall/Thanksgiving decor up for a little while, I have to admit that we were one of those crazy, last-minute food shoppers in the grocery store fighting over the only remaining block of cream cheese with another lady in her PJ's last night. ha!

This got me thinking... maybe there are some of you who are just like us, and have kept cooking or (in this case) decorating for Thanksgiving to the last minute. Well, no worries! Today I'm sharing a few, easy, mostly FREE ways to decorate your home before all the Thanksgiving festivities get started!

Acorns:

These little guys fall in abundance. They're everywhere this time of the year and there are lots of different, creative ways to use them in your decorating. One of the most popular ways to showcase them is in a vase. You can cluster them around a candle, or simply use them as filler for a flower arrangement. 

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You don't even have to use the entire acorn; the top has great texture for creating a frame, or piece of art that has a lot of visual interest.

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Leaves:

The great thing about nature is that it provides us so many different colors to use, especially in the fall with all the leaves changing. From reds and pinks to golden yellows and bright oranges, there are tons of different shades of leaves and foliage to choose from, if you're looking for a totally free way to add some color into your decorating this Thanksgiving.

1 & 2

DIY Framed Fabric Pin Board - A Blogger's Office Makeover

Yay! An office update (sheesh, it's about time eh?) For those of you who are new, we've been working on what WE like to call...

You can read ALL about our office makeover so far here, and specifically more about our most recent projects, which include our custom worktable with faux barn wood finish and DIY stenciled storage boxes.

    

Today, I'm sharing my large framed fabric pin board!!!

I'm seriously in L.O.V.E with this piece and couldn't be happier with how it turned out. A big huge thanks to one of our favorite, long time sponsors, Orange Blossom Shop, for making this fun project possible!

Shauna and Courtney were beyond patient and accommodating when I asked them to create this larger-than-life frame to house my new pin board in. In true House of Smiths fashion, not only does it keep me ultra organized, and serve it's purpose of storing all of my decor madness and ideas, but it's beautiful as well! The perfect backdrop for a Home DIY bloggers office

:)

So here's how we did it:

Let's Talk Photo Editing... Again

Yup, here I am again. Talking about online photo editing. If you're one of those super-talented Photoshoppin' geniuses... please stop here.

:)

If you're like me, and have tried your very hardest to love Photoshop/learn how to use it, but just couldn't quite get there... then this post is for you.

Remember how I had a mini-meltdown when I discovered that Picnik.com (my old, easy-to-use, online photo editing tool) was closing it's site? Well... ever since then I've gotten LOTS of emails from readers wondering what I've been using to gussy up my photos, add watermarks and round corners. So here's the lowdown:

First, I tried Photoshop

* It was hard

* It was fancy

* It was time consuming

* It was cool!

That review is a bit confusing, so let me explain. There are SO MANY amazing things you can do in Photoshop that you can't do on a simple online editing site. Emilie showed me that :)

I won't even start to list the possibilities, because we'd be here all day, but honestly, if you're looking to take your photo editing skills to the next level, then Photoshop is where it's at.

That being said... it takes some MAJOR time to learn the ins and outs of how Photoshop works. Maybe I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I felt like I was spending more time trying to figure out what the name for actions or editing tools meant, than actually USING them. bleeh.... and for me, time is something I just don't have enough of these days, so when I was on the search for quick, simple, pretty-blog-picture editing capabilities, I resorted to using iPiccy.

My cute blogger friend Roeshel from DIY Show Off told me about iPiccy.com 

10 Must Have Painting Tools

A few weeks ago I shared a bunch of painting tips and tricks over at Homes.com, and if you haven't had a chance to head on over and check them out, you totally should :) But I also wanted to share 10 of our must have painting tools here as well, so that you could have them to easily reference! These handy tools will definitely be able to help you out when attempting your next painting project.