travel

Luxury on a dime: Dominican Republic vacation

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It was the middle of winter when Brian and I decided to go to an Island. We joke that we booked this trip in the middle of night with a credit card, and didn’t even realize what we were doing – and that’s not entirely far from the truth! I had been to the Dominican Republic before with my mom, but it was Brian and I’s first trip abroad together, and we wanted it to be perfect. So after what seemed like countless hours of research, I finally found a resort along the southern coast of the island that blew me away. More on that in a bit! We booked our entire trip without a travel agent – we went through Expedia. I am not convinced that this is the answer for every trip, because you’re pretty much on your own, but for this one it worked. Our resort stay and airfare was bundled into one price and deeply discounted because of this. We both ended up paying less than $1,000 each for an entire week at an all-inclusive resort, including airfare and taxes. My tip for finding the best prices is to be flexible with dates, go during the off-season, and book as far in advance as you can. We arrived in the middle of the week, and flew into the capital city, Santo Domingo. Getting to the country was easy enough, but navigating to our hotel was a little crazy. We got picked up in a pre-arranged taxi […]

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Home Decor | DIY

My 5 favorite (cheap) home decor stores!

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I’ll preface this by saying, there is a difference between cheap and inexpensive, and honey there is a fine line when it comes to home decor! If you follow me on Instagram  then you know I love shopping and finding deals. I’m a certified bargain-hunter. That’s why I decided to create this list of my top 5 favorite places to find home decor. These are 5 places you can walk into; I have 5 top online retailers for home decor, but if you like to walk through a store with a heart full of design ideas – this list if for you girl! Hobby Lobby Hobby Lobby is one of those stores that I walk into and immediately have to hone in and remember what I came for. Why? Because everything is always on sale – and if it’s not, they have a permanent 40% off coupon on their site. You’re welcome. From candles, kitchen decor, office trinkets..not to mention their enormous selection of faux plants (for those who are plant murderers like me).   IKEA Okay so maybe you don’t have an IKEA near you. This is what you’re going to want to do: Get in the largest vehicle you have access to, and drive. Keep driving. Until you reach IKEA. Welcome to heaven. (click here to find the closest one to you) Now you know how I feel about IKEA. There are some people out there who seriously hate IKEA..but let me tell you WHY it’s actually amazing (from […]

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Home Decor | DIY

Why and How to buy-second hand home goods!

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thrifting, reuse, upcycle home

*Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn commission. The opinions are completely my own, and I only refer to products that I absolutely love and have tested* Let’s talk second hand goods for a moment. Specifically for the home. Maybe you are thinking “ew” like a lot of people i’ve encountered have, or you are thinking, “yes let’s talk about it!!” Either way, I’m going to tell you why you should be buying them, and how to shop for them like a pro. The funny thing is, many of my interior designer friends who design luxury homes have their own homes filled with thrift-found pieces. It’s no secret among designers how valuable an older piece or second hand piece of furniture is, but it can be challenging to know what to buy second hand, what not to buy, and how to look for them. That’s why I’m going to break it all down for you. I am not the expert in antiquing, but when it comes to filling my home with second hand items, and thrifting my home together, I feel like a queen at it. When I go to an estate sale, thrift store, or flea market I get in a zone that you couldn’t shake me out of. My boyfriend actually prepares when he “assists” me at these, because he knows I will be zipping all around, completely in my element, and […]

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Home Decor | DIY

how to get the space you want on a budget

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*Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn commission. The opinions are completely my own, and I only refer to products that I absolutely love and have tested*   We all want to look like a million bucks..and a $100 budget. It’s not to different when it comes to ours homes. As an interior designer, I have clients who want the same thing; they come to me with a low (realistic in my opinion) budget and want a room that they see on Pinterest. Instead of saying “Yeah goodluck with that!” I say “challenge accepted”. I grew up pretty humbly. Instead of buying new things, I would make something if I wanted it. I guess you could say i’ve been honing in on my DIY skills since I got my first hot glue gun and set of paints! So it’s no surprise that when I was 8, I painted the inside of my Barbie dream house, because I believed Barbie needed a blue bedroom wall instead of pink. How does this help you? I’ve been making things look like a million bucks for pennies for years now, and I want to share my tips with y’all. If you want a space that’s stunning on dime, you must be open to putting in a little elbow grease, using your investigation and negotiation skills!   If you want a piece of furniture that is totally out of […]

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Home Decor | DIY

DIY peel and stick backsplash!

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tictac tiles

As you all know – I am all about budget makeovers in my home. So when I redid my entire kitchen for under $500..I knew I had to share. But even more so than budget, I like simple and easy [I mean who doesn’t?] so when I decided to add backsplash to my fabulously 1970’s kitchen, I knew I wasn’t going to shell out the money on tile and labor. That’s when I discovered the magic of Tic Tac Tiles! The past few years I’ve been dreaming about a subway tile backsplash. That might sounds pretty basic, but Subway tile is amazing for so many reasons. First, it’s completely versatile! It goes with all styles: modern farmhouse, vintage, contemporary, eclectic..just to name a few. It’s kind of all encompassing, so I knew even if my style changed over the years, Subway tile was the way to go! Secondly, it looks clean and simple, which is what I’m all about. I like my colors and patterns in my textiles and dinnerware (let’s be honest..my mugs) so I kept it simple on backsplash. If you are lost on what Tic Tac Tiles are…let me fill you in. They are peel and stick wall tiles that come in pre-sized sheets of 10″x10″ or 12″x12″. I know what you’re thinking..tacky, cheap, and unsanitary. That’s what I was thinking too when I thought about putting vinyl on my kitchen wall (I mean..I’m trying to move AWAY from the 1970’s) , but I did my research […]

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