At Home with Jordan

28

Published on June 26, 2017June 26, 2017 by athomewithjordanLeave a comment

Hi!!!

I cannot believe I have been MIA for over a month. Tomorrow is already my birthday! I know we all say this but really where does THE time go?! It is absolutely crazy how fast life flies by, I especially have recognized this more and more as I have gotten older.

I won’t lie 27 flewww it REALLY FLEW! I mean I was in South Carolina last year at this time with my whole family and it seems as if we were all still there! I really enjoyed 27. I learned a lot about myself and EVEN more about how to be a better bonus mama to Sofia.I have lived in Boston for FOUR years this January! One of the best decisions in my life was leaving my small hometown in Connecticut to come here. I have grown so much as a person, learned so MUCH more and am so happy I did.

Reflecting back on this year has me really so grateful! This year I began blogging more and opening up our our home to you all! Also, I changed the entire look and feel to my Instagram account. BEST decision I EVER made. Not only did I change the look and feel of my instagram, BUT i happily discovered even more so what a handy future HUB I have. He made us a farm table, a fence, and now he is on to a potting table. I mean who would have thought how amazing of a carpenter he is. #solucky. I truly think following your gut, and listening to your intuition about things that mean the most to you know is so important. I have always been a positive, happy person and being able to be on a platform that can hopefully pass this along to all of you is so amazing:) SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU ALL for the messages, LOVE, support, and humor it truly means more than you will ever know. Remember, you get back what you give. I promise!

Another few highlights in my personal life that I am proud of is MY COOKING improvements. I know some of you are probably laughing, BUT I have made some great milestones in the kitchen. Baby steps, BUT I can happily say I can cook five different meals for my family without burning the house down. YAYY!!!

THE gym always has been and always will be my instant stress reliever, and thank GOD I finally found a great trainer to help me along the way. I have never felt so in shape in my life. PROTEIN + STAIRMASTER I tell ya…my new BFFS. YOU CAN DO IT!

I am so excited to begin 28, I mean you guys I AM GETTING MARRIED! I know I am only 28, but I feel like an old soul deep within and I am finally accepting that. Nothing wrong with the fact that I can’t take shots, or mix drinks anymore:) I am so excited to see what Sofia continues to do academically, and personally she is my number one and I couldn’t be more proud to be her bonus Mom.

LOVE YOU ALL! Thank you for letting me be me all the time.

Can’t wait to continue this adventure with you all–xx

How to style your front entryway!

Published on May 11, 2017 by athomewithjordanLeave a comment

Hello Friends:)

Today, I wanted to share with you some creative ways to style the front entry of your home. To me the entryway is so important, not only because it is the first impression of your home, but it is also where you keep all of your home essentials (Coats, rain boots, umbrellas, purses, and even yoga mats.) With that being said, some of us may live in homes similar to mine that is older (Circa 1950) so you don’t have a huge area for your essentials.

I am going to guide you through our front entryway, and then show you what endless options you have if you have an entryway that is on the larger side.

Below, you will see one view of our front entry, Charlie likes to be in ALMOST everyone of these pictures as you can see haha. I picked up this great coat hanger a few years ago when I lived in Connecticut at Marshall’s. This coat hanger is so great because it has cute labels for each hook. This is a great idea for those of you that have children in the house, or even have guests that come over frequently. I also love the wood that these hooks are on, because it goes with anything. You can get coat hangers like this really anywhere, and they are so useful to have right by your main entryway so everything is located in one spot. I also wanted to note the rug below. I got this at Target literally three years ago and it has held up ever since. I think it is so important to get a rug that will hide foot traffic wear and tare and this one surely has done that in more ways than one!

(Sorry the lighting is funky in this one, still trying to figure out the best way to capture natural morning sunlight.)

Moving on down to where all of the shoes, and extra necessities are stored. I purchased this circular basket initially for recycling items when we lived somewhere else a few years ago, and now it has been transformed into our shoe basket for everyone in the house. This is a great idea because the shoes are organized and put away, but still visible enough to see what you are grabbing when you are in a hurry. I keep my yoga mat here, and our rain boots as well. I got a tray to put the shoes on too so none of the dirt or other outside things make their way inside. I promise this tray is key! Also, you can buy these anywhere. I think I even got ours at Target or the Family Dollar store:) No ONE has to know. hahah

This Key holder is amazing! This lives on the opposite side of the front door, and I am so happy I got this. I put my car key ring on one, Sofy puts her key on another, and Andy also uses it for his work badge and key. AND my future hub is notorious for losing things (we still love him though.) SO, I thought having this right near the door would make both his life as well as mine easier so no one is late to work, or running around frantically trying to find what they need when it is crunch time. You can get something like this anywhere really. Amazon, Target, Homegoods….I am sure Hobby Lobby has some as well.

This little basket sits right under the key holder, and in this I have some of our winter necessities including hats and gloves. We also have a coat closet behind this basket, but this is just a quick grab and go for Sofia when she goes to school, or anyone else that may need a winter hat quickly! I got this basket at TJMAXX, and it was under $10.00!

Here are some other options for you to choose from when you are working with a smaller entryway space:

I don’t know about you, BUT I love the flowers coming out of these rain boots, so adorable AND that SHIPLAP, and over head pendant!! AHHHH:)

I saved the best for last my friends-take a look at the endless possibilities below on what you can do with a large front entryway!

8161606908300ec4_1626-w500-h666-b0-p0--beach-style-entry

Having these built in units in any home would be a dream:) Not only are they gorgeous, but they also act as great furniture pieces within a home, they add so much more character AND they are amazing space savers.

This one I love the idea of because each child gets a backpack hook and basket:)

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I hope this will help you navigate your front entryway! Have a wonderful day!

xoxo

Warm weather is here in New England! Outfit selections to wear for each occasion:)

Published on May 3, 2017 by athomewithjordan2 Comments

Hi!!!

I am so excited that we have this amazing warm weather here in New England! It’s about time! I wanted to compile a list of different outfit ideas to wear depending on what type of event you are going to this spring and summer especially because bridal showers and wedding season is here!

This navy blue and white jumper I got from Illa Illa USA, but I actually picked it up last summer so I am not sure if they still have it. Worth a try though:) Check them out! http://www.illaillausa.com/

This site has great party dresses as well as casual attire!

It is so so comfortable, and great for a night out to dinner, or even a barbecue or date night cocktails outside!

Jumpers are a great way to take a day outfit right into an evening outfit! Also, they are so comfortable! I paired this outfit with a hat I got from Target, and some very simple and dainty white bangles I have had forever. I think I got them at a consignment shop actually. The gladiator sandals I am wearing are from Steve Madden and they are SO comfortable. Another TJ Maxx score! As mentioned in my recent post this hat is from Target! They have SOO many others just like this at the store as well.

Here are some other picks for any summer occasion that you can dress up from day to night:) All of the below picks of mine are from Nordstrom Rack! I linked all of the items for you to reference as well!

Beginning with a more formal white and black dress both are PERFECT for a cocktail party or a bridal shower for all of you soon to be brides!

White dress

Little black dress

Now, on to a more casual yet dressy look and feel. A LOT of these dresses are by the LOVE….Ady brand:) Not to mention they are extremely inexpensive.

Blue Halter Dress

Choker Dress here

Lace popover dress

Everyone needs a floral print in their life

Wrapping up my must haves with my favorite type of dress…a casual style of course!

LOVE THIS!

I would wear this everyday if I could in the summer

I hope all of these dresses can help you navigate through what to wear for all of the fun events you have planned for this spring and summer:)

Have a great day!

Maximizing smaller spaces within your home!

Published on May 1, 2017May 1, 2017 by athomewithjordanLeave a comment

Happy Monday:)

I have been getting a lot of questions lately on how to make the most out of a smaller space in your home! Last year, we updated and remodeled one of the rooms in our home, and it is on the smaller side BUT it is now one of my favorite rooms in the house! It is a smaller family room. Sofia and I call it the “girls room.” I am so excited to fill you in on some of the tips and tricks I picked up along the way when I began decorating this room.

When you are decorating a smaller space, think light and bright. You don’t want to get to carried away with darker colors when you are working with a smaller room because it will make the space feel a lot smaller and closed in when in reality you want it to look and feel larger. Make sense?

As you will see in the pictures below, I incorporated pops of color throughout the space because the walls remained white which really looks great when all of the natural sunlight is shining through:) Cactus plants, along with succulents or any greenery you enjoy is a great accessory to add to any space.

–

I recently did an instastory on the pillow covers I got from Amazon. I HIGHLY recommend purchasing some as well if you don’t want to go out and buy all new pillows for your space + you don’t break the bank! I do have quite the pillow obsession, so if pillows are not your thing, then disregard. I will say I think decorative pillows make any space look SO much brighter, and they also add fun character as well.

For the window treatments shown above I purchased four panels of white blackout curtain shades at TJMAXX, and then added two sheer panels in between the blackout shades as you see above. Yes, are both the walls, and the curtains white? That is totally fine. The trim in this room was painted a darker blue shade (Thanks Dad, best painter around-seriously though, that man can cut in when he is painting like NOBODY’s BIZ.) Anyway it was painted a darker color to add a contrast of color against the white walls, and curtains.

Adding fun twinkly lights to this space I thought suited it well, and that is totally up to your preference. They look really great at night too! Sometimes I will watch TV in this room and just have the fun lantern lights on without the recess lighting. When decorating your space, add items that make you happy when you look at them. What means the most to you? A room does not need to have a theme, you can certainly mix old with new (my FAVORITE thing to do.) In this room I wanted to showcase some special items that we had throughout the house that meant a lot to Andy. Andy was in the Airforce, so I wanted an area to put up a lot of his awards, and special paintings that he has earned over the years. My future hub is one of the most humble people you will ever meet. I knew that if I didn’t showcase these great things he may not, so I can proudly boast for him! I guarantee you that around your house you have similar items that mean a lot to you. So, don’t hold back. SHOWCASE them;)

The best way to navigate a new space in your home that you would like to change or maximize is to ask yourself what you will be using the room for? Is it an office? Is it a play room? What do you need to make your life easier and more functional?Figuring out that first question is the hardest part. Once you have that figured out I promise from that point on you will have a much clearer understanding of what to buy when decorating as well as who you think will use the space.

I hope the pictures I included, and some of the advice I have help you in your space going forward. Stay true to who you are as a person in how YOU want to decorate, and share your space with others. What touches will make YOU happy each day when you wake up? 🙂

Have a beautiful week!

Spring Cleaning!

Published on April 24, 2017April 23, 2017 by athomewithjordanLeave a comment

Happy Monday my people!

This weekend at my house we did a TON of cleaning. From weeding out dandelions growing in the front yard, posting a ton of my clothing items on Poshmark to be sold, cleaning out my medicine cabinet (lots of expired items in their my friends) and getting rid of other various items we have throughout the house. For real how good does it feel to have a clean, organized home? I know our lives are so busy, and things catch up with each other and before we know it we have more stuff that we really don’t need, on top of other things we don’t need. I think it is so important to dedicate at least one day a year to cleaning out your home, apt, or condo. I PROMISE you will feel a large weight lifted off of your shoulders!

Below I have broken down three simple rules I live by to successfully organize any space you are in.

If you haven’t used something in a year you are NEVER going to use or wear it: I heard this for the first time a while ago from a magazine I picked up. I’ll be honest, the first time I heard it I was like “yeah yeah yeah.” How many times do you look at items around your home and say “Well I may use it down the road.” OR “I could wear this for an 80’s themed party, I won’t get rid of it just yet.” Lets face it honey you and I BOTH know you are never going to use or wear the item you are referring to. Seriously, think about it. A whole entire year goes by (365 days) and if you haven’t used the item in that time frame then you won’t and are not going to. I promise! Once you realize this, and keep telling yourself you will begin purging away, and only utilizing items in your space that you really need.

DONATE DONATE DONATE: Whenever I give away anything in our house I donate it to either our cleaning lady and her family, Big Brothers and Big Sisters foundation or Poshmark. Their are hundreds of different options to choose from when donating. OR if you want to make your life even easier throw all of the items you are getting rid of in a bag and toss it into the Goodwill bin. Recently, I downloaded the Poshmark app. This app is great because you are able to buy and sell gently used, and brand new clothing items such as shoes, and accessories. Why not earn a little cash for items you own that you paid for? Here is the link to Poshmark. Check it out:) Giving away items to those in need will make you feel amazing, and not only are you helping a family in need, but giving away items to places like Big Brother and Big Sister is also a tax write off as long as you save all of your receipts.

Get rid of the clutter: Let’s face it. Clutter builds up around us right before our eyes. Sometimes we can help it, and other times we just have to step back and say “How did this get here, I need it to be gone.” Hahah if only it was that easy! This past weekend I started clearing off the top of my kitchen counter, which I have posted below for you to peak at. I took off all of our knife sets and other various items we don’t use everyday, but we do use throughout the year* always bring your thoughts back to this rule, I promise it works. Taking off items on your counter top sounds so minor, BUT in reality my counter top looks better than it has in a while because I don’t have as much STUFF hanging around. Who needs knife sets, and widgets, and iPhone chargers everywhere? Not this lady! Now of course we still have things on our counter top that we use daily, but this space looks so much lighter, brighter, and happier:)

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Baby steps are so important to keep in mind when taking on spring cleaning and organizing tasks. Below, I have provided some links to books from some well known authors that have brilliant cleaning and organizing methods. These are great for you to reference:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up-marie-kondo/1119564096/2671882056126?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+greatbookprices_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP24181

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1CAHPZT_enUS646US646&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#tbm=shop&q=martha+stewart+cleaning+books&spd=3629033211250317259

I hope this inspires you to take on a little bit of spring cleaning for yourself:) I promise it is so worth it and you will feel amazingly accomplished when you are done!

Have a great day!

Jordan

Bringing together an outdoor retreat for the warmer months:)

Published on April 12, 2017April 22, 2017 by athomewithjordanLeave a comment

Hi Friends:)

I wanted to dedicate this post to all the pretty patio things you can choose from this season. Below I show you how I decorated our patio, and what I used to do so. The best time of year is when you can sit outside with friends and family and drink a cocktail in the warm sunshine! We recently had our patio redone with this beautiful stone which looks like wood flooring in a way. LOVE how it came out!!

Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Home Depot, and even the dollar store have great selections to choose from for your outdoor space.

How to maximize your space:

We have a smaller patio in our backyard but that doesn’t mean you can’t maximize it! I bought a sectional so at least five people can sit on it when we have company. If you have a larger deck and patio you could probably have both a round table for eating as well as a sectional. Don’t be intimated by a small or large outdoor living space. I think it is important to visualize how you intend to use the space before you buy an furniture, that way you have a clear idea of what you need and want.

I recently purchased this patio furniture set from Amazon.com and I loveee it! The color is great and it came with all of the cushions as well as the pillows! For under $400.00 I think this is a steal, and it is great quality! Our dog Charlie surely seems to think so:)

charlesownsthepatio https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XHRFR4N/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Sorry this set is currently sold out online.)

This pretty succulent arrangement is from Marshalls!

succulent

tabletop pillow buddha candle plant

Spring and summer are by far my favorite New England season. When decorating your outdoor space, bring together different elements that make you happy. You really can’t go wrong. The next item on the list for Andy to make me is a potting table which I would love to place under this window. I will show you the completed project:)

I hope you all have a beautiful day!

Jordan

Warm weather must haves!

Published on March 30, 2017April 6, 2017 by athomewithjordanLeave a comment

Hi!

I don’t know about you but have been dyinggg for warmer weather! I just want to open all of the windows in our house and smell the fresh air. I know I should be used to New England weather as I have lived here all my life, but as soon as Spring hits I AM READY for fun, bright pops of color! Below, I have gathered several items I cannot wait to get my hands on this season:)

Let’s start with accessories!

Beach Bag:

This Escape bag that my favorite+ultimate girl crush blogger Living with Landyn has in her home collection I need. How adorable would this be at the beach with your family, and friends? Not to mention a great carry on bag as well!! This will be on my birthday wish list for sure. If you haven’t checked out Landyn’s blog yet you need to. She is amazinnggg! Check her out here: http://www.livingwithlandyn.com/b-l-o-g/

Floppy beach hats:

Who doesn’t like a cute stylish hat for the beach, or the swim up bar by the pool? This girl here lovesss a floppy hat! Both of these hats I found on Target.com, and they are both under $20.00! Both of these hats are super stylsh, yet lightweight and easy to travel with at the same time.

Dresses:

As always, Marshalls and TJ MAXX win again for being amongst the best variety of dresses for any season. Living Maxxinista over here! I mean come on everything within this brand is to DIE for! Not only do they have great dresses, but they have an amazing variety of wedges, and such to choose from as well. The dress I am wearing in this picture is actually a cold shoulder dress, and I got it at Marshalls for $30.00! The wedges are from TJ Maxx. The jean jacket is from Zara, which I got about three years ago now so I am not sure if they still have it. These wedges are from a brand called Report and are seriously soo comfortable, and not to high either so they are functional to walk in:)

This dress I paired with a nude wedge, and a nude clutch. I am loving nudes, and light pinks this spring!

If you haven’t been to Vici.com yet head over to the website! They always have amazing deals, and stylish clothing:) This one here is adorable, and is purple (my personal favvv.)

Look at this stunner:) I dieee

Check this out here!

I am loving all of the bright + fun lightweight clothing options they have at Vici, Tjmaxx and Marshalls with not only their dresses, but also all of the tops, t-shirts, and shoes!

I hope this post brings warmer weather for all of us:) Looking forward to tons of sunshine, and sending it your way as well!!!

Weekend Projects & DIY

Published on February 27, 2017February 27, 2017 by athomewithjordanLeave a comment

Hi Everyone!

This weekend the weather in New England was unreal. It was in the 70’s on Saturday. So needless to say we took advantage and it was pretty busy! I have been wanting window boxes installed for the longest time on our house and this weekend Andy finally installed them! Yahoo!!!!

While he was installing the window boxes out front I was busy painting one of the doors on our house that was in dire need of a new color.

These are the window boxes we went with, and as you will see below I ended up painting them a plum/dark color. I LOVE how they turned out. Here is what the window boxes looked like before I painted them: Window boxes really add so much more character to your home, I am so excited to plant flowers in these when it gets warmer out! When I do I will add a picture here to show you what they look like.

Here is the after:

As I mentioned above I painted the window boxes with a stain, and then added the corbels for a pretty detail underneath each window box. I painted the corbels the same color as the window boxes. I got the corbels at Home Depot in the lumber section, near all of the crown molding. The hardest part of the install on these window boxes is that a section of our house is rock as you see in the picture above, because of that you can’t just use a regular drill when installing these. You need a hammer drill to install them successfully. You can get a hammer drill at any local hardware store, Home Depot, or Lowes. Price of hammer drills range from $80-$300.00o.

All and all how much better does this window look my friends? Seriously I cannot wait to add two more to the other bay window!!! Can it be warm tomorrow already?!

Here is the other project I was working on….This door before was plain oak, I didn’t take a before picture because it was pretty sad-looking. I love what this door turned out looking like-the pop of color is just what it needed!! I feel like it is so bright and cheery plus, it reminds me of spring year round. I love colorful doors, we have a red front door, but I think it is totally fine to incorporate other colors on your house.

Excuse the writing on this photo-sorry I took a screenshot of my Instagram account.

I can’t wait to add the other two window boxes to the other side on the house. I hope you all had awesome weekends!

xx
J

White wash your fireplace!

Published on February 3, 2017 by athomewithjordanLeave a comment

Hi!!!

Guys, this week I was feelin’ SUPER DIY oriented so I went ahead and white washed our fireplace! It was pretty impulsive, I came home on Monday, and was sitting in our living room looked over at my fiance and said “Ya know what I am so sick of how ugly our fireplace looks, I am going to Google how to fix this ASAP. ASAP as in I tackled it the next day! I know I am insane, but below I am going to give you a play by play on how my experience went. I promise it is A LOT easier than it looks, but it is a bit messy.

Oh and just so you know all white wash is is paint, and water! Who would have thought? It looks so much more complex in pictures that just those two simple ingredients!! I totally learned something new the other day;)

What you will need: A drop cloth, paint brush, an old rag, some blue paint tape, any white paint you have around your house and mix with water. I did 50% white paint, and 50% water. Mix this into a plastic cup and stir. Mix until the consistency is evenly distributed throughout.

Step One: Cover up any areas that you DO NOT want to get covered up in paint splotches. I am telling you people this gets messy, when you are mixing white paint + water it gets very tricky. When I did this I had the rag with me in one hand, and the paint brush in the other so you turn into a super multi-tasker. Then, tape off with your blue paint tape any areas you do not want extra paint to get near.

As you can see this bad boy needed some SERIOUS loving!!

Step Two: Take a sponge with warm water, and dab the fire-place with it. This will get rid of any cobwebs, or dirt on the brick. You don’t want that to get mixed in with the white wash. No bueno.

Step Three: Now that you have your water and paint mixed, let’s get to it! I would start painting one brick at a time. As I mentioned earlier, this mixture is messy so if you begin painting more than one brick at a time the paint gets everywhere and then you are cleaning your floors like a crazy person. Take a step back to take a look at how the bricks look after you complete the first row of whitewash. This will give you an idea of how many coats you need, and what bricks need to be touched up ETC.

Step Four: Once you lay on the all of the whitewash on your fireplace let it dry because the brick will seep through and give it that modern feel that you are going for. You may need another coat or you many not I only did one coat of whitewash, and then touched up some of the bricks that needed some extra lovin’.

Step Five: Remove the blue tape, and TADA you are done!!! SO easy, and all in I would say it took about three hours. People you have a brand spankin new fireplace, and it looks like a million BUCKS!!! Tell me how much you love it??!!

Below are some other examples of how awesome these fireplaces look in homes I found!

Let me know how this worked out for you below:) I would love to see your whitewash DIY projects!

How awesome are Poufs?

Published on January 18, 2017January 18, 2017 by athomewithjordanLeave a comment

I recently bought a pouf for our family room, and I cannot get enough. I think poufs are such a great addition to any space. They add additional seating options, and are so cool and fun looking! I just bought this one from Target, and I love the color combination.The one I bought is really comfortable to sit on too. Like anything they range from high to low in price, and I think you would be surprised how many you can find that are inexpensive yet comfortable. These cute things can be stored anywhere. If you have a coffee table large enough they can get tucked right underneath the table, or even stacked away in a corner.

If you live in an apartment these are a great option to add space for nights when you have guests over. They are perfect for the warmer weather outside on patios too! They come in outdoor weather fabric selections so you don’t have to worry about them getting ruined.

Below I rounded up some of my favorite ways poufs are showcased in spaces (outdoors and indoors.)

Indoor:

Image/Wayfair.com

Image/BHG Style House

Outdoor:

Feature Image/RH

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