Linley Diane

Mom Help for a Happy (ish) Home

Categories: Home

Laundry Room Mini – Makeover

Recently inspired after visiting my friend’s gorgeous home, I decided that we would do some small scale upgrades on ours. Prior to this, our laundry room had a wire builder-grade shelf, Home Depot blinds, and of course, the laundry machines. That’s it.

What I did here is simple and anyone can do it. Not only that, it’s inexpensive and all the accessory items are can be swapped out easily so you can change it up for the seasons (if you’re so inclined).

Tip: Go with a neutral wallpaper and wood shelf. These are the only semi-permanent things in the room that would be harder to change. So, you want those things to be versatile – the rest of the accessories can easily be swapped out as your tastes, style, or the season changes.

Pictures speak louder than words, so here’s what the room looks like now! I’ve linked everything below as well.

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.)

Weathered wooden shelf with brackets from Etsy. I couldn’t find anything pre-made that I liked and that fit the space so I ordered from Etsy. It’s good to support small businesses! This is the 60 inch size in Weathered Oak stain.

Peel and stick wallpaper. I searched around the internet for something black, white, and basic. I landed on this buffalo plaid print from Target. Note: Order more than you think you need to make sure you get rolls all from the same lot. You can always return any unused rolls. (You can see we didn’t even go all the way down since the machines covered that. And even for that very small space, we still needed two rolls.)

Gold framed art. Gold and brass are very “in” right now. I like it a lot, but my guess is that it’s more of a short term trend. So, I got these since they are inexpensive and can be switched out in a heartbeat, if I choose.

Area rug. It’s sooo plush and soft. I saw it on Instagram and loved it! I originally planned to put this in my garage entrance but it is waaaaay to nice for that. (I also have another area rug in my kitchen from this store and the quality of that one is also awesome. This is the 2×3 size and it’s from Anthropologie.

Faux plants. Any faux plants will do that fit the shelf. Remember, they will be above you and you won’t see them in much detail, so you don’t need to get super nice ones. Just something to add a little green and texture to the space.

 

Basket. It’s always good to have a cute basket. (This one is from Target.) You can use it to put clothes in or hide your laundry supplies inside.

Curtain. Again, went with neutral so that it will go with any seasonal decor. I also wanted something sheer so that it didn’t block light.

Curtain Rod. Went with something simple. Also, the gold ties in with the frames.

Hope you like it! What would you add? Change? If you’ve recently made over your laundry room, I’d love to see it!!!

You may also like: https://linleydiane.com/easy-ways-to-make-your-home-and-yourself-smell-amazing/

Categories: Home

Easy Ways To Make Your Home (and yourself) Smell Amazing

Have you ever been envious of the people whose homes smell amazing? Like, they smell so good, even with kids at home?! (And does yours sometimes smell a little something like dog food and wet kids? Or was that just me?)

I’ve used sooo many products lately and I’m here to share with you the ones that smell BOMB and also have long lasting scents.

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.)

This first one is THE BEST!!!

I’ve been using Downy Calm Fabric Softener in the Lavender and Vanilla Bean scent on everything I’ve washed (which is a lot with 3 kids in the summer) and it is single handedly responsible for not only making the laundry smell amazing but now our whole upstairs smells good because of it!

Before I started using this, our laundry room reeked. I had to get a diffuser to put it in, haha. Now, it’s actually enjoyable to enter the laundry room!

(PS: This Amazon listing is a great price. I paid $9.99 at Target for one 81 fl oz bottle.)

Related, this Snuggle static guard sheet that you put in the dryer also smells so good! I use both the softener and the dryer sheet on all of our laundry now.

The next thing you’ll want for your home to smell its best is a candle. I find that fall candles have the strongest and longest lasting scents, even when you aren’t in the same room as the candle.

This Glade candle is soooo good! But FYI: I can’t find it for a good price on Amazon. You’ll have to go to Target for it and they only stock it seasonly (comes out in August) so make sure you stock up for all year long!

Ok, so this next one is a shampoo. So it’s not exactly for your home but it will make you, your bathroom, and your pillowcase smell good all day and night.

I bought it thinking that it might smell like fall (spoiler: it doesn’t) but it is the best smelling and longest lasting scented shampoo that I’ve ever used. I took my hair out of a ponytail the day after I washed with it and was hit with the heavenly scent. I found myself trying to nonchalantly sniff my own hair the rest of the day, haha. Even my husband commented how much he liked it!

Finally, this one is all for YOU. It’s a facial toner, so I don’t know if anyone can actually smell this other than yourself, but I promise it will make you happy! And it’s good for your skin! (My dermatologist was the one who first used it on me during a chemical peel.)

Just squirt it on a soft small round piece of cotton (like this if you don’t know what I’m talking about) and wipe it on your face and neck after you cleanse. Your nose and pores will both thank you!

What makes YOUR home smell good? Should I try something else next?

Categories: Home

Simple and Easy Fall Decor

Oh fall! How can you not love it?! The smells, the cool temps, and the beautiful colors make it a favorite time of year for so many people!

It’s also super fun to decorate for because there are so many different directions you can go in! One of the best things about it is that you can get a lot of the most beautiful decor from your own backyard! DIY with leaves, branches, and a few little pumpkins from your local patch. (Of course, you can also buy faux and repurpose year after year!)

(In 2020, with so much going on at home with the kids here all the time (school supplies and toys are everywhere 24/7!), I’m personally opting for a more simple and understated fall look!)

Oh, and since the kids are home anyway, (and likely bored!) have them help with this! They can go outside and gather their favorite leaves and branches for you. Hey, it’s something that will keep them busy for 20 minutes at least, haha.

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.)

1. Put some pressed leaves in gold frames.
Search your backyard, the local park, or even the side of the road and find some pretty fresh fallen leaves. Get a frame and pop them right in. Voila! It really does not get easier than that!

You can go in so many different directions here. Depending on your space, you could use one big frame or mix and match different frame sizes for a gallery wall. You could try three of the same size frames in a row or column. Use all similar leaves or mix and match different kinds and sizes. (Wheat grass would look so nice too!)

You can even easily change out what you have in there as the season goes on. Add more color as we get deeper into the season. (An ombre pattern could be so pretty!)

Grab these inexpensive gold frames from Amazon!

pressed leaves frame

(These are just a few examples, the possibilities are really endless! I think black frames would like nice too!)

2. Add fall foliage in a vase, basket, pitcher, etc.
This tip is so versatile and can be repeated throughout the home. Bookshelves, kitchen nooks, table centerpieces, fireplace mantles and hearths, you name it!

neutral fall decor ideas cheap

Use vessels of varying sizes and textures. This keep things visually interesting and pleasing, even when sticking to a neutral color scheme (if you are trying to keep things simple, like me).

Here are some vases that I found online that I really like and think would work well for the fall.

Bonus tip: For the transition from summer to fall, mix your fall stems with some summer greens.

Pictured above is just one stem of greenery and one stem of fall foliage. I keep this same basic set-up and just change what’s in the basket throughout the year. (Using potted greens works well too!)

I kill everything, so I opt for faux plants and stems that I can use in spring, summer, and fall. Faux is also a great option if you want to avoid bugs…they always seem to plague my soil.

I really like this set of faux plants from Amazon because they coordinate with the same pot but are different leaves and shades of greens.

You can use faux potted plants like these in lots of rooms in my home, like the entry way, shelves, kitchen, and laundry room.

Below, I added the little faux succulent next to the plant. I chose this because it’s understated hints of red on the tips of the leaves are perfect for beginning the fall transition. Later in the year, you can switch that out for a small pumpkin if you want a change!

plant, cutting board, brass in kitchen

3. Set a few white pumpkins around with your other neutral decor. (Or green, yellow, etc, if you aren’t going to a neutral look.)

This looks especially pretty with natural wood, gold/brass, or iron materials in your home.

The great thing about this is how easy it is (notice a trend here?) You can opt to get real white pumpkins, paint some orange ones if you want real but can’t find the right colors, or order some faux ones online.

Here are some cute white pumpkins from Amazon that I found.

(They look real cute in a small basket too!)

Hope you found this helpful! If you have anything you’d add, let me know!