Making a House a Home

One of the things I struggle with in decorating is keeping our style from looking too sterile. I tend to lean towards looks like this, this and this. I love the clean lines and contemporary vibe, but as I've gotten older I have really wanted to have our home feel cozy and inviting. The contemporary look doesn't always lend itself naturally to the warm and fuzzies, so I've been trying to make tweaks that will create a welcoming atmosphere in our sweet abode. 

One of those things is to make things personal - kid art! Now let me start by saying I am not one of those mothers who keeps every piece of paper her kids draw on. I do not generally see the inner Picaso of my children and simply don't understand what their little minds were envisioning whilst drawing such scribbles. With that said, they can make some meaningful art with a little parental direction. :) 

The kids' bathroom is very colorful, so when I saw this on pinterest I thought it would go well in there. Here's our take on it:

Another thing I did was swap out some colorful pops in our decor with more neutral colors. Initially I made turquoise the accent color for our kitchen, dining room, and music room. I realized quickly that turquoise clashes with the two holidays I decorate most for - Christmas and Thanksgiving. Now some would argue that I really need some color in my house! Gray, black, white and brown are very bland and some color would go a long way. I agree! I have just decided that my color will come with the changing seasons. This also satisfies my need for things to change frequently - I can bring out "new" decor as each season or holiday comes around. 

 With that in mind, we went from this in our dining room:

 To this (ignore that my silhouette changed, that's been done for a while now):

I have been loving all things chevron recently, so that made the cut for the fabric filled frames. The silhouettes got some new scrapbook paper mattes, with a gray/brown damask type pattern. Here's a close up since it's hard to make out above:

Another thing I have always been leery of is mixing wood with contemporary black materials. We have a shiny black piano, so I thought I was limited to sticking with that kind of furniture. After browsing magazines and decor sites, I've decided that is a myth! I saw so many examples of mixtures containing all sorts of woods, matte and shiny black pieces, etc. I decided to try it and I think it automatically made it look more inviting and less formal/stuffy. We went from this:

To this:

I still like the look of the first way we had it, but it definitely isn't as warm as the new setup. And don't worry, the turquoise items won't go to waste! They will come back out in the spring. It's still a work in progress, but I really think adding in the wood and other textures (like the fur throw) helped warm it up a bit. What are your thoughts? I would love to hear from someone who is an outsider and doesn't live here! 

We also moved the desk into the dining room, which I think helped the music room seem more like a visiting room. More seating and no electronics helps the cozy factor in the music room.

Stay tuned this week for updates in the kitchen!

A Few Little Tweaks

I know I already did a post on our fall decor, but we added a few little things so I thought I would throw those in too. Nothing special, just a new tablecloth:

A little pumpkin:

 Some fall foliage:

A leaf on the door (does it look to Canada-ish?):

I new welcome mat (LOVE this!):

A fall flag (sorry it's kinda wind-blown):

I'm one of those straggler holiday decorators - as I find new stuff I keep adding it. :) 

And to end on a happy note, my beautiful children: 

Happy Tuesday!

My Family

No words are really necessary for this post, just some recent shots of my favorite people. <3

Fall Happenings

Christmas/winter is still my favorite season, but fall is a close second! We have had such a great time this year taking advantage of the cooler weather (and mommy's healed back!) to do some fun stuff. 

One thing we have missed the last couple of years is the Dixie Classic Fair. I moved to NC when I was 13 and the fair was a yearly tradition for our family. It was something I looked forward to every year, and just the smells alone can bring back such a nostalgic feeling. Once we got married, Jason isn't a huge fan of the fair so we didn't go much. Then the kids came along and were so little and money being tight, we weren't able to go the last few years. But this year, my sister and I decided to brave it and take the kiddos. We weren't there very long, but it was just right! We rode the carousel (and realized how old we are, getting sick on the tamest of rides), played a game and won prizes, ate yummy fair food, fed some goats, and had lots of fun. The kids loved it and I was happy to be back in a place that holds so many good memories!

Harry wanted to ride the tractors, but don't let these "happy" faces fool you - he bawled the entire time once it started to go around! I had to watch sympathetically from the sidelines, poor guy. 

Auntie Sara was a good sport when Eden spotted the giant slide and wanted to ride. They went twice! Check out the video below (sorry it's sideways!). :)

More good memories to add from a fair fun day!

Another fun thing we were able to do was visit the pumpkin patch. It was a bit rainy, but we still had a good time. My parents were in town (looking at houses, since they are moving back to NC in December!!!) and I was so glad for them to be able to join us.

The Pop-arazzi:

They're heavy!

We asked Harry to pose with the scarecrow and he climbed right into his lap and got comfy!

Even Daddy and Auntie Sara got to come!

It was a bit windy too, haha!

So many fun things to celebrate the season!

Caranci Kids Lately

Yes, I know I haven't posted in ages! I'm sorry about that, things are just getting ahead of me. So here's a nice long post of random shots of the kids and their recent happenings. 

They helped me make tuna casserole for Jason one night:

A little early morning domino game with Daddy:

To infinity and beyond! 

 Being sweet:

Their idea of a "silly" picture:

Eden's alone picture (with a photo bomber):

Harry's alone picture:

When I heard giggling from my room, I went to discover them like this in our closet:

Posing - I love how she is being all dramatic and he is looking at her like she has lost it:

Playing with babies:

I told them to hold their babies really sweetly and gently (I'm not sure Harry's is going to make it):

I went to put clothes in Harry's room and saw they had put their stuffed animals to bed:

These kids crack me up, everyday!