My Top 5 Most FAQ’s

I’m currently sitting in my cozy bed as I write this post and realizing that I haven’t had any fun chit chat with you guys in a while. What the heck has been going on peeps? If you follow my shenanigans over on Instagram you might know the past few weeks have been crazy for us. Remember how I mentioned the yucky crud that hit our house the week before Easter? Well it never really left. In fact, it only got worse. Owen had it first and just as we were coming through that Allie got full blown croup, which was absolutely awful. We actually ended up in the ER with her on Easter morning at 4:00AM for a breathing treatment and some steroids. I’ll be honest, it was pretty darn scary. And certainly not the way I had planned on spending Easter. You guys know how much I love Easter. But I’ll tell ya what—there aren’t many things that give you a big dose of perspective like being at the ER with a sick two year old. Nothing mattered other than getting Allie better. Thankfully we made it through, Allie finally started feeling better a few days later, and life has slowly been getting back to normal since then. Although if I’m being honest I will say that I’ve felt like a zombie a lot lately. Just a walking, pregnant zombie that desperately craves more caffeine at any given moment even though she’s only allowed one (maybe two) cups a day. Oy. But I shouldn’t complain. My babies are feeling better, the pregnancy is going well, and I’m finally get some decent sleep again. God is good. Oh and on a completely separate and happier topic, my lilacs are starting to bloom in our backyard which makes me absolutely thrilled. We have three huge lilac bushes and it seriously smells like heaven back there. I’ll have to take a few photos once they are all bloomed out and share with you guys. Isn’t spring just the best? I think so. Anyway, that’s probably enough rambling for now. Let’s get on to today’s post–which is kind of a fun one because I’m talking about my top five most frequently asked questions. These are questions I get tons of emails and questions about on social media, so I thought it would be fun to dedicate an entire post to these hot topics.

1. What’s that paint color?

This is by far my most asked question on social media. I would say that I’m asked this question at least two or three times every day over on Instagram. It’s nut-so. But I totally get it–paint colors are hard and when you see one you love you gotta know what it is. Ok so here are my paint colors in our home:

The majority of our home is painted with Autumn Blonde by Sherwin Williams. The dining room, front room, and living room all have this color.

It’s a soft creamy color and I absolutely love it. It’s an older one, but Sherwin Williams will still mix it up for you if you ask nicely. I shared the exact formula here.

The color in our basement is Merino Wool by Sherwin Williams.

Lastly our bathroom is painted with Smokestack by Behr. And while we’re talking about this space, I also get a lot of questions about that light fixture. It’s actually from Amazon, you can find it here, and it’s super affordable.

2. Where are those curtains from?

The second most common question I get is about our curtains in the basement and the front room.

These are actually drop cloth curtains, which you can find at Home Depot and DIY yourself. Sooooo easy and so affordable. Each panel only costs $11.

I wrote a whole post about these, which you can find here if you’re interested in learning more about these magical curtains.

3. I want to transition to farmhouse style, but my budget is limited. Where do I start?

Oh I love this question so much and it’s one that I get a ton of emails and message about. I’ve written two posts on this subject, which you can check out here and here, but I’d say that if you’re just getting started with creating a farmhouse look in your home there are three main things you can focus on that won’t cost you much at all: 1) Paint colors–this is one of the easiest and fastest ways to change the vibe in your home. Plus it sets the foundation for how the rest of your decor and furniture looks. I recommend going with something natural and soft. I recently put a list of farmhouse style paint colors together, which you can find here. 2) Avoid mass produced, “cute” decor. I know, this is controversial and I don’t mean you have to avoid all mass produced decor. I have plenty of it! But just be very selective in what you buy. I’ve talked about this before, but I recommend not filling your home with a lot of items that don’t add personality or character. To me, farmhouse style is all about charm and coziness, with a focus on vintage and timeless simplicity. Clearing your house of clutter and those cute little wooden bears that say “home sweet home” will get you started on creating a home with classic character–which is a key component of farmhouse style. 3) Paint your existing furniture a neutral color. If you don’t love it, paint it. That’s my motto. This might apply to your old dining table, outdated TV console, or maybe that big hutch in your dining more that needs a fresh look. Also don’t be afraid to get out there and find a used option that you can buy for cheap. The dining table is a great example of that. I wanted a new table for our breakfast nook, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I bought this used for $50 and painted it. You can see the before and after here.

4. How do I start a blog?

I get a loooooot of emails from folks who want to start a blog. And to be really honest, I LOVE it. I try hard to respond to every email about blogging because it’s something I’ve become really passionate about over the past year and a half and I know how scary it can be when you’re just beginning. Starting this blog was one of the best decisions I ever made. At the time I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or where this would go, but I knew it was something I wanted to try–so I went for it. And I’m so glad I did. If you’re thinking about starting your own blog, it’s actually much easier than you might think.

I have a complete step-by-step guide that will walk you through the entire process of getting setup with WordPress and Bluehost which is currently the host I use for my blog. I also wrote a post all about 10 things I wish I had known before I got started. I think this is a great place to begin if you’re on the fence about blogging. I share a lot of honest feedback and it’s definitely something I wish I could have read before getting started. I also wrote about the fear I had to overcome to even go for it in the first place.

5. Where are those chairs from?

Each and every time I post an Instagram photo of the chairs in our living room I get lots of questions about them.

These are the Milari Linen Chairs from American Furniture Warehouse, which is a Colorado based furniture company, although I do believe they have a few locations in Arizona as well. I love these chairs–they’re comfortable and the size is perfect for our living room. Unfortunately AFW doesn’t ship across the entire US, but if you’re in love with this chair I’d definitely recommend checking out this one, which is extremely similar and the price is even the same. Here are some other options with the same look:

All righty, there ya have it–my top five most common questions. I hope you found this interesting and maybe learned a thing or two in the process. Thanks so much for dropping by the blog today! xoxo