Chic Decor for Mom on Mother’s Day

*Disclosure: I partnered with Target and Stylinity for this post, however all opinions are my own.

Holy hiatus, Batman!  It’s been nearly a month since I wrote a post on my blog.  Goodness! So much has happened!  A lot of it you can see on Instagram.  I’ll try to update you with the rest in upcoming posts.  For now, I want to share with you what I gave myself for Mother’s Day: A front door makeover!

Aside from fashion, a clean and somewhat nicely decorated home makes me super happy. With two kids in the house and a hubs with a crazy work schedule, the “clean and somewhat nicely decorated” part hasn’t happened.  So, this was my attempt to get the “nicely decorated” ball rolling.

I’ve had a slight obsession with boxwood recently and recently stalked this boxwood wreath on the Target website.  They never seemed to have it in store when I went, so I finally  went ahead and ordered it.IMG_3166

Next step was prepping the door for its transformation.  This was the door before doing anything to it:

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Not too shabby, but a bit on the dilapidated side. Let’s face it – it needed a make over.  So, off I went to Home Depot to find the paint.  The selection was limited, but I ended up finding a nice black gloss paint that I thought would do the job.  I also picked up a small roller and a brush with a small handle.

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We already had white paint, brushes, and tape at home, so I started with the trim; which I painted a bright white so as to make the door “pop”.  I also taped the door handle prior to applying the black paint.

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Then came the fun part!  The transformation.  I took about a third of the paint in the paint can and poured it into a hand-held plastic container.  I first hand-brushed paint on the entire door, focusing on getting the entire inside of each of the six panels.  I then followed with a second coat over the entire door with a small roller.

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It took longer to dry than it did to paint it!  The process was fairly painless and super easy.  I also picked up a new floor mat, so when it was all said it done, I had a brand new door and front-door decor!

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The white trim can use a second coat upon hubby’s closer inspection, but otherwise, I’m super happy with the result.  Obviously this involved work on my part, but it took a total of three hours total (at most, not including drying time) and was relatively inexpensive!  Here’s a breakdown of what I purchased:

Paint for door: $8 for black gloss paint

Roller: $6

Brushes, trim paint, and tape: Free from previous jobs at home (took back the ones I bought)

Welcome mat: $12*

Boxwood wreath: $45

Total cost: $71

Shop all the products here.

*To save a little extra money with some Target coupons, click here!

This is a DIY you can attempt on your own and perhaps surprise mom with, OR, you could gift her a basket which includes all the brushes/paint/roller/materials and wreath and DIY with her to spend some quality time together!  Either way, I think it would make an excellent gift, and something that is somewhat unique too.  Dontcha think?!

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Hubs and I have talked about a bedroom, basement, and closet/office makeover, so stay tuned for those!  In the meantime, I wish all you mama’s out there an amazing Mother’s Day and to those of you who are not mama’s, wishing you a lovely time with the mother or mother figure in your life.

Until next time!  Stay ‘Chic’!

Fall Fashion under $40

Disclaimer:  Financial compensation was not received for this post. A sample product was gifted from AMI Clubwear. Opinions expressed here are my own. 

There are no hard fast rules for dressing for fall.  I say, wear whatever fits and matches.  I haven’t done a whole lot of shopping lately, but I have managed to find a few pieces that I am in love with for fall.  Here are some of those for you to consider:

Floral Dress, http://chicinacademia.comDress:  H&M, $14.99 // Boots: AMI Clubwear, $21.99 // Belt: Old, Hollister, similar here // Bag: Old, Bass Outlet, similar here

Fringe boots, http://chicinacademia.comBooties:  AMI Clubwear

 Can I just tell you how excited I was to find a dress in a print for fall and for less than $15?!  It is super, super comfortable and not form-fitting so, perfect for less-than-perfect abdominal areas!  It has a variety of colors you could match it with, so also quite versatile that way.

Now, the booties.  I’d searched for a pair of fringe booties for a while, but had not come across any that met my price threshold.  These were the right color for fall, but also the right price.  They are also super comfy!!  I sized up about a half size as I tend to do with most boots, so I would say buy as you would other boots.

The belt is SUPER old, but I linked a similar one above.  The bag, I bought for $5 from the Bass Outlet at my local outlet mall, though a similar bag is also linked above.

What other trends are you liking for fall??  Let me know in the comments section below!  Also, if you are looking to take a gamble and enter a giveaway for some shopping funds, check out the giveaway I’m hosting with a group of other bloggers below!

Until next time!  Stay ‘Chic’!

Now…it’s time for a fabulous giveaway!
I’ve teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers
to give YOU a chance to win:
a $500 GIFT CARD to Nordstrom!
unnamed-5Simply enter below by completing the rafflecopter.
You’ll receive one entry per completion.
This giveaway is open internationally and runs until 10/4.
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!

HOSTED BY:
1
KBStyled // Live More Beautifully
2Lauren McBride // B SOUP // Saltwater and Stilettos // Vandi Fair // DTK Austin Styling
3Love, Taylor Mackenzie // LivvyLand // Book of Leisure // Sugar & Something // CS Gems
4The Chambray Bunny // Chic in Academia // Sportsanista // Ashley Larea // Simply Mars
5Adored by Alex // Material Girl // Allyson in Wonderland // Elle Sees // TheACScoop
6Two Peas in a Blog // A Lily Love Affair // Wild One Forever // The Double Take Girls // Navy Grace
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Shop much?

A year or so ago, I purchased a few items from what used to be SheInside.com.  They have since changed their name to SheIn.com and have also changed a few things about they clothing they sell.  For one, it no longer appears to be sized for 12-year old girls.  At least 12-year old American girls!  Seriously, though.  A few of the pieces I got the first time around were sized incredibly small.  I’m not tall, but these definitely did not appear to be clothes that should be worn by regular-sized women.

Cut to a month ago: I noticed that lots bloggers were wearing SheIn clothing again.  So, I decided to give them another try.  Boy, am I glad I did!  They have on-trend items, which are quite affordably-priced.  Here are a few of the items I got:

http://chicinacademia.com

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Details:  Tunic Dress // Lace Top // Skirt

Every item from SheIn worn in the photos above was less than $20!  The skirt was only $14 if that gives you a sense of the affordability.  The one caveat about shopping on SheIn.com is that you have to be very aware of the sizing when ordering.  Although they have gotten better about catering to American body types, sizing does still vary by item and some items are one-size fits all or may change depending on the cut for the garment.  That said, I was able to stick to small’s and medium’s for the most part.  Note that I am also somewhat vertically challenged, so items like the blue and white tunic dress might fit others more like a tunic top than a tunic dress, haha.  Finally, shipping times can vary from days to 1-2 weeks.  To ease your anxiety, SheIn provides tracking information so you can plan receipt of your package accordingly! 🙂

Otherwise, I say, go wild and fill up your online shopping cart!  It’s a great place to back-to-school shop for teenagers, college students, and even young professionals like myself.  Wait…am I still considered a young professional!?  Gawd, I hope so!  😛

Until next time!  Stay ‘Chic’!