Out Sick

Been "out sick" this week.

SO bummed that I wasn't able to swing the master bathroom reveal like I promised.

Bad blogger.

Hoping to be back to my old self next week.

Thankful to the Lord above that it's Friday.

Have a great weekend.

XO.

THH featured on Polly Wants a Crafter

Cassity's new crafting blog Polly Want A Crafter is giving The Hillside Home a little shout-out today by featuring my fall flower arrangement!

Go check it out!

And thanks Cassity! You're the best!

Weekends Go By Too Fast

Yesterday totally got away from me.

This weekend just flew by and Monday hit me like a ton of bricks.

I realized that I had nothing prepared to post yesterday, so I just let it slip on by.

But nothing wipes away the Monday blues like some gorgeous interior pics. I am in serious need of some inspiration this week, so these images helped a bit.

In other news, I won Kellie's monogrammed tote bag giveaway over at This Blessed Nest.

I am thrilled beyond belief.

Winning is exciting all on it's own, and then you add on the prize of Kellie's adorable embroidered bag!

Yes, please.

Pumped, party of 1.

I have a master bathroom big reveal coming up this week.

I have been waiting on pins and needles to get this space finished and share it with you guys... the before and after's are pretty awesome, so please check back throughout the week.

It's gonna be pretty great. :)

And in the meantime, shake off any Monday yuck that you may have hangin' around and enjoy all the pretty that comes along with these pics.

Have a happy Tuesday.

Photo sources:

1,2 & 3 Cottage Living

4 & 5 Home House Design

Halloween Frame

Here is a cute and easy project I did to add to my Halloween decor. I had an extra black 8 x 10 frame laying around (who am I kidding?---I have a TON of frames laying around), so I took the glass out and cut some Halloween scrapbook paper to size.

Then I wrapped some raffia around the frame and tied a knot.

Then I used a mini-clothespin to attach a picture of me and the boo-boo from last Halloween.

Wa-la! A new addition to my entry table. I also hung two frames the the wall behind the table and love the way it looks. The rest of the decor is a small jar that I scored from an estate sale for $1 filled with some pinecone potpourri and a mini-paper mache pumpkin.

I'm already brainstorming about what I can do with this little table come Christmas-time! I know, I know.... I'm getting ahead of myself. But I am so excited to decorate our new home for Christmas this year!!!!

Linking to:

Remodelaholic

Serenity Now

Young & Crafty

Tatertots & Jello

You know you want one...

Looking for some cute Halloween pillows for your home? Well, I'll let you guys in on a little secret. I am working on filling up my Etsy shop (yes, Ryan finally talked me into it!!!!!), and these 2 pillowcases are already up for sale!

I am pretty nervous about this new adventure, but also really excited! This could be fun. I already love handmade goodies for my own home, and if I learned anything from my Thanksgiving Wreath giveaway, it's that I love making things for others as well. So here goes nothin'.

I wanted to let you guys know first since you are all such amazing blog friends & readers. And I'll keep you posted as new things fill up the "shop."

Also, these pillowcases are made to order. So there is an endless supply (as long as my fabric store keeps selling the fabric), so let me know if you have any special orders. :)

Chalkboard Wall

Last week I guest posted over at The Country Chic Cottage and shared my new "chalkboard wall" in my kitchen...

...which is actually the side of my pantry. After falling in love with chalkboard walls all over blogland, we decided (my huband and I) that this spot made the most sense. Not only would it be cute and "homey," but would also be functional.

We pictured using it for to-do lists, menus, recipes, grocery lists, and of course a place for our 15 month old to keep busy while Momma cooks dinner. So we went to Home Depot and picked up a can of Rust-oleum Chalkboard paint and we had the rest of supplies on hand: a paint roller, paint tray, a paint brush (for edging), and blue painter's tape.

Then I taped off the edges and painted 2 coats using a roller for the majority of the wall and a paintbrush for the trim. After the paint was dry, I removed the tape.

The next part was the hardest... waiting 3 whole days (because you know we were dying to write on it the second we got done paiting) until we were "allowed" to condition the wall. This means we had to use the side of the chalk to shade the entire surface of the wall and then wipe it down with a damp rag.

Now I have an itty-bitty confession: When I went to read the directions on the back of the can the day of "conditioning," some of the the paint had dripped down and covered some of the directions. It looked like it may have said to wait even longer (ahhh, killin' me) before we could actually write on it, but we played dumb--I mean, we really couldn't read it, after all--and went ahead and got our chalkin' on. (And just so you know, all is well. No major mishaps for early writing.)

Here is my baby boy and "Daddy" breaking in the new addition to our kitchen.

It was hard to decide who was actually having more fun between the two of them.

And so far, this little wall has fulfilled all of our expectations. We leave one another notes, I jot down the menu for the week (which solves the nightly "What's for dinner?" dilemna), and my son and I have a blast sitting on the floor and drawing together.

Our kitchen nook is still a work in progress (as can be seen by our one refinished chair on the left and it's old unfinished friend to the right), but I really feel like the chalkboard wall added a ton of character... and function!

Linking to:

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Finding Fabulous

Remodelaholic

Tatertots & Jello

Domestically Speaking

Mini-Gallery Wall

My bookcase was looking a little lonely on this big ol' wall. Our great room has vaulted ceilings and this particular wall goes straight up to the 2nd story. So I decided to arrange some frames that I had on hand and create a mini-gallery wall.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a picture freak. I take a trillion. I take up an insane amount of memory on our computer storing them (which drive my computer genius husband insane). I obsess about backing them up (which literally drives my computer genius husband to Best Buy to buy a state of the art external hard drive). I print a bajillion. And I own 5 quadrillion frames. All this to say... gallery walls are my BEST FRIENDS.

I have plans for gallery walls all over this hillside home. This is just the first of MANY. :)

Now I just need to pick out which pictures to put in these frames!!!! The map is of Paris in the 1800's that we actually bought from a street vendor in Paris back in 2008. That one is staying. And the one of Liam in the orange hood is staying too. The other 4 frames are still up for grabs. I keep y'all posted.

Anyone out there a sucker for gallery walls? Megan over at Honey We're Home just posted about gallery walls too! (Great minds think alike, and I'm tellin' ya, us two gals seem like we are always on the same page.) And she has some AMAZING wall space for pictures galore!!!!

Linking To:

Somewhat Simple

Remodelaholic

Tatertots & Jello

Somewhere Soft To Lay My Head...

So this husband of mine is trying to talk me into starting an Etsy shop. Eeeeek. Super scary for this little lady. But kind of an exciting idea.

Here are some throw pillows I have been working on for the house. The beachy polk-a-dot fabric is thick cotton (it's almost feels like canvas) and is from a table cloth I bought at Target. I just LOVED the material and knew I could do something with it... so now I have new pillows for our couch!

The pillow covers have the envelope back which are so great and versatile. I was able to use inserts from old pillows that didn't match our decor and just stick them into these new covers.

I've also been having fun covering old pillows with new Halloween covers. This fabric is too cute!

This orange polka dot fabric is fun too and will carry over through Thanksgiving.

Here is another new addition to the family---our new storage ottoman. Everyone, this is our ottoman. Ottoman, this is everyone. We have been in desperate need of one of these guys since we moved in, but I couldn't find anything quite right. But after nailing down our color scheme this past weekend and deciding to keep black as one of the colors in the room, this piece just popped off the shelf at Target today. It practically leaped into my cart... plus it stores blankets. Bonus.

You can see Liam's little couch and giraffe buddy popping into frame in this pic. I think we also have a grocery bag and power cord hiding next to the couch. Nothin' like keepin' it real, y'all.

Linking to:

Blue Cricket Design

Someday Crafts

Somewhat Simple

Finding Fabulous

Remodelaholic

Tatertots & Jello

THH Featured

By now I'm sure you all know that Cassity over at Remodelaholic has started a crafting blog! And today, The Hillside Home has a project featured over at "Polly Want A Crafter!"

Thanks, Cassity! Everyone go check it out!

Beautiful Things Monday: Burlap

Slowly but surely our great room decor has been coming along. But I still felt like I was "winging it" and didn't have any sure direction. So I decided to buckle down a color scheme. We have some white pieces and some black pieces... we have our white corner couch and our burlap-looking chair-and-a-half... and we have some turquoise accents.

{Cottage Living}

After taking inventory of our most dominant colors in the room, the answer seemed easy. Black and white with burlap and turquoise. Those will be the main colors in the room and then anything else we decide to layer on top (seasonal decor, etc) will just be bonus. I already feel better. Sometimes just knowing where your going makes the journey that much less stressful.

{Country Living}

So I went through the room and removed the stuff that just didn't match with the new scheme (i.e. brown and white striped throw pillows) and made plans to refinish some pieces of furniture that just aren't cutting it (i.e. cherry finished side table).

Excited about my new found color scheme, I decided to shop the web for some inspiration. All I did was type in "burlap decor living room" and look what I found.

{Elle Decor}

So many beautiful spaces.

{Elle Decor}

{Martha Stewart}

Yes, this is my 2nd picture featuring evergreen wreaths. I just couldn't resist. I know it's not even Hallowen yet, but I am SO, SO, SOOOOO excited for Christmas. Who's with me?


{Unknown}

Burlap covered frames. Genius. So easy and so cute.

{Better Homes and Gardens}

{Unknown}

In closing, Happy Monday, y'all. Hope you all had a wonderful fall weekend.

We spent time at the coolest pumpkin patch known to man on Saturday... and yesterday was all about football, pumpkin bread, hanging up pictures, and sewing new throw pillows.

Good times.

Pumpkin Patch

Today we are off to the pumpkin patch. Word has it that there is an amazing park in Irvine that has pumpkins, trains and a zoo. Be still my mommy heart. That sounds fan-freakin-tastic to me. So we are packing up and we are off!

It's hard to believe that it's alread been a year since these pumpkin patch pictures were taken. It goes by so fast doesn't it?

I hope everyone has a wonderful fall weekend. After a week of gorgeous, cool, and rainy fall weather, we are back to the 90's here in Cali. What is up with this weather?!

Great Room: Work in Progress

We have been making progress over here at The Hillside Home. I guess I have been waiting until everything was "FINISHED" to give you guys a "Big Reveal" of each room, but I think I'd rather take you guys along for the ride. So although our great room is far from finished, I wanted to give y'all a glimpse of how it's going so far.

So, without further ado, here is a before pic of the great room from when the old tenants were still living in the house.

And here it is now!

We just recently put up window treatments on the corner windows and it made such a difference! You can read more about that here. We still have to put them up on the side window at the far right of the picture. We also want to replace the old blinds with bamboo roll-ups.

Here is another before pic...
And after!

The entry table was an estate sale find for $35! You can see the refinshing fun here. And you can also see more before and after pics of the bannisters here.


I will make sure to post as we go with each little update. As of now, I am dying to get some pictures up on the walls!!!!

Curtain Call

Look at this stud. He means business. Curtain-hangin' business. Woop woop!

So we have had packs of curtains from Ikea (only $9.99 for each window, people... run to Ikea, run fast!) sitting on a shelf for weeks and we finally got around to putting them up! And we are loving the difference it has made in our great room!!

We were a little bit confused at first as to what to do about our windows that meet in the corner. But after a quick trip to Home Depot we found a solution. We ended up getting 2 white wooden curtain rods that we could cut at a 45 degree angle to meet in the corner.

The wooden brackets and finials are also from Home Depot.

We made sure to leave enough space between the brackets in the corner so the curtains would be able to meet in the corner and have a "seemless" look.


And here is the finished product! I love the gauzy look of the curtains... and they just so happened to be the perfect length once we hung them up---no hemming necessary! Bonus!!! :) Check back tomorrow morning for more pics of our great room!