How to win $2,000 in furniture from Bargains and Buyouts

...which, let's be honest, is really like $4,000 in the real world. I say that because you know you Bargains and Buyouts gives you the most spectacular prices.

I first learned of this opportunity earlier this month when I partnered with my beloved furniture store to host their very first blogger event. It was great fun catching up with with other local bloggers in the home design space as well as hearing the Bargains and Buyouts startup story first hand. We sat right in the middle of the dining section and talked shop over donuts...talk about an ideal Saturday morning.

Marc and Greg, the owners, are wonderful. They're down-to-earth people who believe in the ultimate shopping experience. They've worked hard to create an environment in which the customer can get the best price on a wide array of home furnishings. The absolute thrill of this store is that you 1) never know what you'll discover, because the stock is always changing and 2) can negotiate the price. These two factors work in unison to produce a retail experience like no other - one that leaves you on a serious buyer's (or decorator's) high.

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Bringing Nursery Design to Life

You might remember when I first put together the concept for Baby P.'s nursery. It was right around this time last year. My goal was to give our Bluegrass baby a southern gentleman-inspired room, outfitted in black, white, Kentucky blue and kelly green.

My original vision included a feature wall of a black and white gingham pattern behind the crib. Well it turns out the wallpaper I loved was coming from another country. It took so long just to receive the sample strip I ordered. Then, financially it didn't make sense. It was going to end up being crazy expensive and take forever to arrive, so I tweaked my plan.

As a reminder, here's the originally concept:

Here's a recap of what actually came to fruition from this plan: 

Gingham peel and stick removable wallpaper (decided to pass) 

Horse canvas from Brookside Photography (repurposed different horse canvas from my living room) 

Custom silhouette print from Minted (purchased) | Kentucky print (purchased) 

Gum ball machine nightlight (didn't end up purchasing, although I still love it) 

Striped crib sheet (purchased) | Dwell Studio dresser (purchased) | 

Blue and green storage bins (purchased) | H is for Horse tray (purchased)  Hello pillow (purchased) 

Gold floor lamp (Went with a Target one instead) | Dwell Studio crib (purchased) 

Sheepskin (Repurposed different from living room) | Gold pillow (decided to pass)  

Glider and ottoman (purchased) | Black and white storage bin (purchased)

When creating a space, I think it's important for people to remember that it's okay if your space doesn't come together exactly as planned.

The most visually appealing rooms are 1) collected over time and 2) evolve due to trial and error. Sometimes you don't know how the scale of all the pieces are going to come together until you straight up style them in the space. I promise you there will be points where you have to buy things and then return what doesn't work. It is truly a refine as you go process.

So what does Baby P.'s space look like today? Here's a sneak peak:

I'll have to photograph a full tour soon.

In this photo, you probably only recognize the glider, sheep skin, crib and lamp look-alike. All of the other items were either gifts (the tent, toy horse, cloud/star mobile and birch trees), last-minute splurges (the Pottery Barn window shade) or items reused from other rooms (the horse pillow).

While my dream gingham wall didn't come to life, I was able to create some interest. My husband and father-in-law installed trim in a higher-than-normal position. We used Mindful Gray from Sherwin-Williams on the bottom and topped the space off with bright white.

I'm pleased with how the space came together. Although, it did take months. I was still adding finishing touches even after our baby boy arrived, but that's okay.

So, what do you think? Are you an evolve-as-you-go type of decorator?

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A recipe for Thanksgiving dinner design

Since moving into a home more suited for large-scale entertaining, I've taken over the Thanksgiving responsibilities for my mom's side of the family. While I don't cook, I do pride myself in serving up a mean dinner table design. I love pulling all of my supplies together to create a visually appealing tablescape, and enjoy picking up new odds and ends, ensuring guests can expect to find a different twist on decor from year to year.

When purchasing entertaining products, I tend to gravitate toward items that aren't occasion specific - ones I can continue to use time and time again. I thought I would share my go-to recipe for creating a well-rounded dinner display. Here's what you need to know:

Start with jewel tones 

Inspiration via 100 Layer Cake

Jewel tones on the table is no brainer, especially for fall. The rich, bold colors reflect the season and are easy to mix and match.

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