decorating

Life Lately + Real Outfits

Posted on January 13, 2016 by KSSBelle

Happy Wednesday, Everyone! We have a lot of fun things going on right now, so I thought I would share a little sneak peak into our world and what’s going on lately.

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First, the most exciting update to tell you about is that we’re in the middle of a major kitchen renovation (insert happy face & clapping hands here). When we moved into our house a few years ago, the kitchen situation looked a little less than ideal to us. However, we knew the potential was tremendous, and the rest of the house was so worth the wait. I call it the “Jerry Seinfeld” kitchen because the color choices were literally that of his apartment in NYC on the show. I am so excited to be moving forward with a bright white and light gray kitchen with new countertops and backsplash. Eeek…words can’t describe how happy I am about these updates taking place. I’ll admit, it’s a little chaotic with a toddler, puppy, and two cats, but I know it will be so worth it. I’ll take pictures once it’s all finished for y’all to see.

Kitchen Inspiration via

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Secondly, I’m happy to announce that there will be more “outfit posts” on the blog going forward. I’m so excited that my husband (thank you, Sweetheart) wants to help me with taking pictures of real outfits styled by the one and only. It’s fun to link to images of outfit pieces, but my true passion is showing you how to put it all together, even with a few older pieces that are currently in your closet. Let’s face it, money doesn’t grow on trees (oh how wonderful it would be if it did, right?), and so we can’t buy a new wardrobe every season. But, I’ll show you how to collect the right pieces (investment pieces) over the years that will make what you already have in your closet feel “new” again. Don’t worry, I’ll still have posts that link to outfit pieces here and there, but I’ve always wanted my blog to be more “real life” outfits that will inspire you.

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I hope your 2016 is off to a wonderful start!
~KSSBelle

Monday, Monday

Posted on November 23, 2015 by KSSBelle

With the holidays in full swing it feels as though my head is spinning with feeling like I have a million things to do, and not enough time to do them. Do you ever feel that way? Of course, we all do. Either way, what doesn’t get done, can wait, and I plan to relax and enjoy the entire holiday season. This is going to be a busy, fun Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I cannot wait.

So, for today, I’ll share with you my random thoughts as of right now.

First, I am holding back every ounce that I can to wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas. Every time I see a house already decorated I try to justify it in my head to “go ahead,” however, the “traditionalist” in me won’t allow it. I know I need to wait, even though for me, Christmas is the happiest time of year. My parents made every Christmas truly “magical” for me, and I hope that my husband and I can do the same for our children. I will admit, I am already listening to Bing Crosby in the car. My husband is an incredibly patient man…

This has been my “go-to” look during the daytime as of late. I am all about denim, cozy sweaters, cute flats and a fabulous coat! It’s chic, yet still in style, just way more relaxed than I’ve ever been. I’ve got a feeling I’ll be living in this look all season long for shopping, play dates, etc. Although, don’t worry – I’m still looking forward to getting all dolled up for holiday parties! What seems to be your “go-to” daytime look lately?

A Christmas tree cheese plate! How happy is this idea? I came across this on Pinterest the other day. I’ll definitely be making this for any dinners at our house, and it would even be fun if you’re hosting a playgroup, too! The kids would love this…

And last, but not least…always a good reminder.

All images via

Happy Monday Friends!
~KSSBelle

Weekend + First Signs of Fall

Posted on September 14, 2015 by KSSBelle

Happy Monday, Everyone! I hope that y’all had a fantastic weekend. I know we sure did. We did a little bit of this and that around the house, but mostly relaxed in this slightly cooler weather!

Our new chandelier is amazing in our master bedroom. My husband actually admitted after he put it up that it looked good! It’s going to sound silly, but I wake up feeling like a princess in our room now! I absolutely love it, and it so much better than our fan, which was barely used anyway.

I added the little white baby lamp shades that I already had from years ago to make it feel more cozy. I love the simplicity of this chandelier. It’s modern, yet still classic.

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I did decorate a little bit for Fall. Mostly pumpkins sprinkled here and there around the house and on the front door, of course. We burned our new Harvest candle from Target during dinner times and at night. It makes the house smell so good!

Lastly, we played outside a lot with our little one! Like I’ve said before, this is my season, and I couldn’t be happier that it’s started!

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I am in need/search of some new rain boots. Mine literally had a hole in them, so it was time to throw them away. I run errands in them, garden in them, and simply throw them on to go in and out of the house a lot. I am thinking about this pair or this pair.

Happy Monday, Friends!
~KSSBelle

Decorating – Blue & White

Posted on July 16, 2015July 16, 2015 by KSSBelle

I consider myself very “traditional” when it comes to decorating. I get it from my Mom. She has exquisite style and taste when it comes to dressing and decorating; therefore, like Mother, like daughter, I inherited her style. And, thank goodness I did.

As for decorating our house, she taught me the art of symmetry and balance. I always buy décor in “pairs.”

When we registered for our everyday china pattern, my husband and I both fell in love with the “Mandarin Blue” collection by Lauren Ralph Lauren.

Since, then I’ve been able to find several discontinued pieces of our pattern like vases, cookie jars, and candlesticks at HomeGoods. My Mom always calls me and says “I found more…” and I tell her “grab them, please!” Now, I’ll be the first to admit, other than our everyday pattern, I don’t like a lot of blue and white décor, but I do like it sprinkled in ” here and there” around the house. Too much of a good thing is not good, in my opinion. If you’re lucky, you can find some really great buys on blue and white ginger jars, bowls, vases and more at HomeGoods. That’s the place to hunt for them. When you see one, grab it, because they go fast. I recently found a blue and white bowl for $24.99. It now resides on our sideboard in our foyer. It’s a piece we’ll love for years. The “hunt” for these pieces is half of the fun!

Do you like decorating with blue and white? If so, where do you shop for your pieces?

Below are some images inspiring my “blue & white” style.

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~KSSBelle

Office Artwork

Posted on April 28, 2015 by KSSBelle

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am redesigning my office space at home. Part of the redesign is adding pretty artwork. I am planning on dedicating one wall to be a “gallery wall.”

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At my old job, I had a gallery wall of pinterest photos printed out all over my office. Literally, every space was covered. I loved coming into work and working in such a happy space. We had great color printers (one of the perks of working in Marketing), and I would change a few prints out to new ones every few Fridays. Every single image I had hanging in my office inspired me. It was so much better than having plain, grey cube walls. For a creative trying to work, grey cube walls is sheer torture. Trust me.

So, I plan to recreate that kind of space at my home office.

I love the idea of mixing & matching picture frames as well. I plan for some to be clean, crisp white frames, and some prints will be in gold frames.

Now’s the fun part, picking out the prints to go in the frames for my gallery wall. I imagine I will probably change them out with something new every so often, which I look forward to…

I am turning to Etsy to help me build my gallery wall because I know I can get some really great prints at reasonable prices, and I can do the framing myself. Here are a few prints that I am currently loving:

English Springer Spaniel Print

English Springer Spaniel Silhouette Print

Blue and White Vase with Peonies Print

Make It Happen Gold Foil Print

More Issues Than Vogue Print

Pineapple Print

Love You Forever Print

Do you love gallery walls? It’s a bit intimidating at first to build, but now that I have these great prints to inspire me, I think I can do it! Do you have a gallery wall at home?