Blog Posts: Lifestyle

Lifestyle-focused blog posts written to entertain, educate, and inspire. All posts are SEO optimized.

Our home is a reflection of Shawn & myself, not only do we want it to be cozy and beautiful to look at but we also want it to be organized and clean. When my home feels cluttered I feel it in other parts of my life too. (Anyone else with me on this one?!) Being that we spend the majority of our time in our home, one of my must-dos is finding ways to stay organized that work for us!

One thing I found that is key for me to stay organized is that everything has a place! By giving everything a place I always know where things go and can avoid clutter. Anytime I take something out of its place to be used or buy something new I try my best to put it away right away. I’m not perfect, but this is the goal! Putting something away right away saves me time because I’m not going back later after placing it in an area where it doesn’t belong. I use this method with all areas of the home and it has worked SO well to help me stay organized! 

My BEST tip is to find unique baskets/containers for things that need to be easily accessed. We’ve gone as far as using decorative honey pots for our dog bones and toys LOL. 😂 I love finding vintage and antique baskets and containers to use as storage. I can easily incorporate them into my decor and prevent having small piles of stuff sitting around our home. Keep in mind, this is what works for us … if you want to do this too, try to think about what would work best for you!

Items I Store in Baskets/Containers 

Basket for Shawn’s belts

Baskets for fruits in the kitchen

Boxes for shoe storage 

Organizer for pans

Baskets for dog toys and leashes

Vintage crocks for miscellaneous items 

One of my biggest accomplishments…we don’t have a junk drawer! If I have mail and paper that needs to be kept, I file it OR have a decorative box for it. We have file folders for taxes/house info/my work/church/personal and store them in our storage room, just to give some ideas. Then for more sentimental items, we have a memory bin. Every day when we get the mail we go through it as we’re walking into the house from the mailbox. It prevents the pile of unopened mail and we immediately know whether it needs to be saved or not. 

I have a storage area in our home and this past year I switched all of my solid storage bins to clear storage bins. It makes it super easy for me to see what's inside and find what I’m looking for at any time. This year I added labels to all of my bins and organized them by season and type. I also put the bins I won't need until the end of the year toward the back and the bins I’ll need earlier in the year upfront! I shared how I organize & store my Christmas decor on the blog here. 

You might not know this but we only have ONE closet in our home! 😱 Without closet space, it can feel like we are limited in storage. So I like to create decorative spaces that are super functional! To store Shawn’s shoes we created a boot shelf and made his dunks look more ‘decorative’ by storing them in these cool bins. To store my workroom supplies we installed wall-to-wall shelves. Not only are these super functional for storage, but they are also beautiful to look at! That’s a win-win in my book. 😆

If you are interested in organizing content, I shared more about how I organized my holiday decor here & how I organized my fridge here! Anywhere else in my home, you’d like to see a more in-depth process of how I stay organized? Let me know in the comments!

I love simmer pots (aka stovetop potpourri) all year round & I find them especially cozy during the cold winter months. They give such a warm feel throughout the home and are so easy to put together! They’re great for hosting or a cozy night in.

Combine ingredients in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and enjoy!

It really is that easy! Depending on the size of your pot these can simmer for 2-3 hours. You can add additional water if necessary. Always use caution when creating things like this and don’t leave them unattended!

I wanted to share a few of my favorite simmer pot recipes with you. Quick Tip: If you have any fruit that is starting to go bad toss it in the simmer pot. This is a great way to use it instead of throwing it out!

2 lemons

3-4 rosemary sprigs

3-4 cinnamon sticks

1 Orange, sliced

1 Apple, sliced

3 Cinnamon sticks

1 tsp vanilla

2 nutmegs, halved

6-7 cloves

3 Star Anise

1 Orange, sliced

1 Apple, sliced

1 Bag of cranberries

3 Cinnamon sticks

3-4 star anise

3-4 cloves

A handful of pine

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is what to do once you finish the simmer pot. There are a couple of different ways you could get more than one use out of stovetop potpourri if that’s something you would like to do!

You can make your own tea out of your simmer pot! Add honey or a sweetener of your choice. Remember not to include ingredients like pine or cedar if you plan to drink it as a tea after. 

Compost the ingredients once you are done! If you need tips on composting there are a bunch of great youtube videos with step-by-step instructions. 

Do you already have a favorite simmer pot recipe? Let me know in the comments so I can try it too! 

Rather than gifting plants, because let's be honest that’s a little tricky to wrap, think about all of the details around plant parenting. Whether it’s care, experimenting, or learning something new, thinking outside the box will show the recipient that you appreciate their plant-collecting hobby.

As a plant parent myself, I can truly say I would love to receive any of these gifts! Simply click the photo to shop for the item. Fun Fact: Did you know you can buy live plants on Etsy? If you really would like to gift someone a plant this would be a great way to do it. Place your order on Etsy & deliver straight to their address—no need to worry about wrapping!

If you are looking for anything else for the plant parent on your list, these are a few shops I’d recommend you start with. Personally, I love everything these shops have when it comes to plant accessories! 

How perfect are these marble & monochrome plant toppers?! I love to use toppers to dress up my plants, they add a novelty feel and they are practical to use. Covering the soil with toppers also helps to trap moisture in the plant and keep out curious pets. It makes a really thoughtful & unique gift for a plant lover!

This garden gift set includes floral shears, jute twine, raffia, plant ties, and more! Not only is this gift set BEAUTIFUL, but it’s also super practical for all the green thumbs in your life. These are fun for those who have gardens or people that like to experiment with gardening every once in a while! P.S. Terrain has some of the cutest gardening accessories if you are looking for something extra.

There are soooo many plant books out there, it's hard to choose just one! Whether they are an indoor plant lover, a big-time gardener, or love to cook plant-based you can truly find anything. Not only do they make great decor but they are also super informative, win-win! 

I hope this gift guide has helped to make your shopping a little bit easier this holiday season! If you need more inspiration you can find the rest of my gift guides here.