Iowa Winter Landscape

The amount of snow we have had this year in Iowa is just nuts, but there is a slight silver lining with this new white landscape: gorgeous photos! Whether it’s wildlife, barns, old homes, or farm fields, Iowa photographers on social media are really taking advantage of this snow.

Each Sunday, I try to highlight one photo on my Instagram page, and I am rounding up a few of my favorites over the last few months and sharing them here with you today.

An old barn, by Iowa photographer Doug Craigmile

These pheasants were captured by Iowa photographer Judene Gardner

Captured by Iowa photographer Deb O’Brien

An old barn, by me!

That last photo is a barn that is at a property we are currently renovating, in Parnell, Iowa. It was built in 1863, and has withstood the harsh weather ever since (it was -20 windchill when I took this photo the other day).

I might be biased, but the beauty of the white winter months (almost) make it worth living through the ice and snow…although I wouldn’t complain about a trip to the beach right about now! ha!

Stay warm and safe, we’ll chat soon!

Rachael

Sawhorse Table Refresh

Well hello friends!

It’s been a little while since I posted a decor refresh, and there’s no time like the present! February is when I normally dig out some of the faux greenery, mostly just to remind myself that spring is almost here. The temperatures have been steady in the 30’s lately, which might not sound warm depending on where you are located but trust me it’s pretty darn good for winter in Iowa!

The table I am sharing today is in my entryway, it’s a sawhorse table that my husband Adam built several years ago. Here’s a few photos of what I did with it recently.

These magnolia stems were considered holiday decor at Target, so I snagged them at the end of December for 70% off (y’all know I love a bargain!).

Recently, a friend generously gave me this stack of old books and I stacked them in an old birdcage with some wooden beads. Simple! I also wanted to mention that little green plant in the background, they are currently at target for $5! They are quite nice quality for the price!

Here are a couple photos of the whole table put together…

This table came together nicely, minus the crooked frame on the wall but hey, we can’t have it all together ALL the time :)

That’s all I have for you today, thank you for stopping by the blog today and be sure to check back soon for my dining room refresh that I have in the works!

Stay warm out there!

-Rachael

My Farmhouse Christmas Front Porch

I FINALLY finished my front porch this weekend, and it’s a good thing I did because today it’s snowing along with 35mph winds…gross. Iowa always keeps us on our toes! There’s an old saying that if you don’t like the weather here to wait a day and it will change. Well, yesterday it was 50 degrees…

Enough on that, let’s get to the fun stuff.

My front porch came together rather late this year, as you can see, and that was mainly due to me waiting on these two trees I purchased online from Target during their black Friday weekend sales. Personally, I think they were worth the wait! I had my eyes on this pair last year but never ended up getting them, something about the trees being ‘less full’ caught my eye. You can see them below!

These trees came in their own wooden stands, which I did keep, however for this project I wanted them to have more of a vintage vibe so I put them in an old crock and a wooden box. They are pre-lit which made it easy to decide to place them next to the outlet.

For the rest of the items, I simply shopped my house/garage. You might wonder what kind of hoarding situation I have going on if I can simply rummage through my house and find all these things for the porch…well I do have a lot of things, but I use them mostly year round in different capacities each season. I am blessed with a lot of storage options at this house, so I always keep my eyes open for a good deal and constantly add to my collection…y’all know I love a bargain!

For example, this wash tub on the right, it was originally purchased at a flea market several years ago. For this season, I simply snagged it from my front flower bed where it had been on display this fall with a water pump. During summer months I will fill it with flowers or twigs/branches. Currently, it’s holding some over-sized metal ornaments originally from my wedding, over 4 years ago. Reusing decor in different ways drastically reduces the cost of changing things up each season!

Here is a photo after dark, to show the lit trees. I don’t often talk about or recommend products, there are plenty of bloggers out there that do that. I do, however, give my non-sponsored opinion from time to time about certain things that I really like or enjoy, and these trees fall into that category.

Here is another front view of the porch! I posted this image on Instagram today and someone asked if the front of our house had tile on it, which is a good question! It is actually cast stone that is smooth and made to look like tile…each one weighs 130 pounds! We chose this stone for the front door area to give a contrast to the cobblestone look of the rest of the stone on our house.

And while we are on the topic of the front door, this was not our door we had in mind and I cannot wait until we replace it with the permanent door. Until then, white metal door it is!

Hopefully this post has provided you some inspiration to decorate your own house, and as always I love seeing what you come up with so make sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook or whatever platform you share your pictures.

And if you have made it this far, thank you so much for stopping by the blog today! I can see when y’all visit this little corner of the internet that I call home, and it means the world to both me and Adam knowing that you are sharing this space with us.

That’s all for now, make sure to check back soon for more farmhouse renovation updates coming up, or feel free to subscribe to our mailing list if you want them sent directly to your inbox.

Cheers!!

-Rachael

It's a Farmhouse Christmas!

I cannot believe it’s already December, and here we are just a few short weeks from Christmas. Maybe it was the wonky weather, or the fact Thanksgiving was so late this year, but either way I found myself quite unprepared for December’s arrival! I did (finally!) finish getting my house decorated and photographed, minus the front porch, and I am here today to share these with you!

If you are feeling behind in decorating and want some quick inspiration, this post is for you!

---

Here’s a quick dining room tour!

I love all things budget friendly, and Christmas is no exception! While I do purchase a couple things each year, they are always marked down or on clearance. I mostly just use the decor from previous years in new ways or in new places, and that always makes it seem like a fresh new look. For example, this garland on the table is tucked into my re-purposed chicken feeder that I frequently have on display here, and I added a couple candles and pine cones that I had on hand. Ta-Da!

I made this ‘Merry Christmas’ printable last year and took it to a copy and print shop to have it enlarged and printed on cardstock (for $1). If you would like the file for a quick download, shoot me a message!

Linking our personalized book sets here.

This corner of the dining room is new this year, since I picked up this vintage sewing table super cheap on marketplace. I also grabbed these mint bells from the Target dollar section this year, can’t go wrong with over-sized bells!

On to the kitchen!

I did a whole post on the kitchen that I will link here, but if you just want a couple quick ideas here are some photos from that post!

Next up is the entryway table, and if you have been following along for a while you might remember that I have a terrible time decorating this long table. I strive to keep it uncluttered, but it seems to just collect things on its own!

I am really feeling the ‘woodsy’/tree farm/greens and whites vibe this year, and that is new for me from previous years. I am not entirely sure why I gravitated toward this style this year, but I embraced the challenge to incorporate what I had on hand and decorate this table.

And, the tree

let’s just ignore the un-decorated shelves on the flag wall in the background. This pencil tree was new to us last year (hello Michael’s clearance!) and this nook in the railing is about the only location we can put it at the moment, as we have to tether it with twine to secure it won’t fall over. Our 2 year old has never tried to pull the tree over, but i am sure the moment I didn’t have it secured she would give it a try. Kids just know when you are taking a shortcut!

As you can see, I have a bit of a Starbucks ornament collection going, and soon I will need my own tree just for them. For now, I will just hang them out of reach of little hands.

Also, our tree skirt is just a burlap sack from our local farm store, Theisen’s. They sell them for roughly $1, and while they do shed a bit I like the rustic look they bring to the tree.

---

Well, that’s all I have for inside decor this year. I have yet to finish my front porch, as I am waiting on something to be delivered that I bought the day after Thanksgiving. Hopefully I will have that post ready sometime before Christmas!

In the mean time, I hope I was able to bring you some decorating inspiration and as always, thank you for stopping by the blog today! All of your support really means a lot to us! I’m going to sign off for now and get back to the farmhouse remodel, big changes happening this week so stay tuned for that!

Cheers!

Rachael

Kitchen Christmas Refresh

It’s that time of year, the most WONDERFUL time of the year! I know some people wait to decorate for Christmas, but I like to get it over with early and enjoy it for a couple of months. Last year I felt like everything got a little too cluttered/cramped around here so I am trying to keep it simple this go around.

I really am feeling the green/white color scheme this year, so you will mostly see that style from me. I started in the kitchen, because that seemed the easiest!

I picked this dough bowl up extremely cheap on a local Facebook site, and it has been sitting in my kitchen ever since. This season I added some faux greens and an amazing candle from my friends over at Antique Candle Co. (I am not an affiliate, I just really like their stuff!). This candle scent is ‘Tree Farm’ which works perfect for giving that real tree smell to a home.

Now on to the sink area, and I struggled with what to put in the ‘window’. Originally, I wanted a wreath, but opted for the copper bells for the sake of simplicity.

It just wouldn’t be the Christmas season without home baked goodies in the company of friends and family. Both of us have close friends we consider family, thus our annual celebration ‘friendsmas’.

Lastly, a simple wreath over the range hood ties it all together! Here are a few additional photos that I took…

Dough bowl close up!

Hopefully my early decorating has provided some inspiration for your own home, feel free to tag me in your photos so I can take a peek! For now I am back to managing the fort, it’s Friday night and that means (most) tasks can wait until the weekend!

Cheers!

-Rachael

Hello January!

Hello! We made it through the holiday season at my house, and I don’t know about you but I’m ready for all of the clutter to be packed up. I still have some simple flocked trees that I am decorating with, but all of the holiday decor is back in storage. Christmas is my favorite time of year, but by the end of the season I always feel overwhelmed with glitter, gift wrap, and general disorder.

With all of that in mind, I thought I would share my simple table design for the remainder of winter. Iowa has had some chilly temperatures but no real snow since November, so everything outdoors is gloomy and brown.

My initial thoughts when I was digging through my decor and putting this together was that I needed something simple and with a hint of color. As you can see, I chose mostly neutral colors and added a pop of greenery to remind us that spring will be here (hopefully) soon.

I have several of these book sets all over my house, each telling a different ‘story’. I am working on setting up a web page where these can be ordered but for now if you would like a set just contact me. I put this tray together and then set it on top of a simple beige and green table runner that I had in my spring decor collection. I was in the mood for simple, and kept it at that.

I hope you are all staying warm this January, wherever you are located! As always, you can catch us on Instagram or Pinterest for daily decorating ideas and I will be back soon with some fun DIY projects to keep you busy during these long winter months! Cheers!