Monday, December 14, 2015

Art Crate: Curated Art Prints for Your Home


Just when I thought finding the most original and unique art prints could not get any easier, I came across a wonderful site that sends you personalized hand-picked styles to your door each month.


This website, Art Crate, specializes in transforming your space into a work of art by using your personal tastes as a backbone for ultimate style.


 Like many other monthly mail-in services, Art Crate sends you an art print based on your preferences every month. When you think you know what you truly want, you could have a totally new style at your doorstep that you will absolutely love.


A while ago, I received an eccentric art piece with a pop of vivid colors. As most of you know, I typically stay within the neutral tones and themes. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what I had to work with. It is something completely different for my home, but that's what I love about it. The strong design makes a big statement that I cannot wait to decorate with. 


 Art Crate is a perfect website for those who are in their first home and are indecisive about artwork or even experienced decorators that want something out-of-the-box. With such an easy step by step process of completing a design survey, having an Art Crate curated artist handpick a design, then having it in the mail within a month, makes the service hard to resist. You have the foundation for the most amazing art prints that could be a part of your home, which is a power worth having.

Below is an outline of the way the service works:  

1. Customers take the design survey and sign-up. 
  2.  3 prints curated based on their design survey. 
 3. The customer receives an email with images of the curated 3 prints. 
 4. The customer replies with the 1 print they want to receive that month. 
 5. Print is shipped. 
 6. Based on the Perfect Print Guarantee, Art Crate will accept and replace any print if the customer doesn't love it.


* You can use code CHRISTMAS20 at checkout to receive 20% off your first month.


This post was sponsored by Art Crate.  No financial compensation was received, however I did receive a print to review.  All opinions are my own.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

We Converted our Garage into a Living Space

We moved into our house in June 2008 and always dreamed of converting our garage into a living space.  We never parked in our 2-car garage.  We always kept our cars in the driveway.  Over the years our garage became packed with junk and unfinished projects.  We accumulated way too much stuff!
  
Once we decided to move forward with making the garage into a room we got serious about getting rid of stuff we didn't need.  We donated a lot of things to charity and utilized their free pick up service.  We worked together every week on trash collection day, until the garage was organized.  It felt so good to be rid of the clutter.
    
 Where do you store the stuff that would normally go in the garage?  
We considered purchasing a shed, but don't want a big unit in our backyard.  The lawn mower and pressure washer are covered outside on the deck.  I reorganized our closet in the entry for general storage; leaf blower, carpet cleaner, steam mop, a few paint cans and tools.  Cleaning supplies are now stored under the bathroom and kitchen sink.  We used to keep our shoes in the garage.  Now we're using clear under-bed storage boxes.  Everything has its place rather than being thrown in a corner of the garage.  
  
 A few people have asked, what if we plan to sell our house in the future.  We don't plan on moving!  We make changes in our house to fit our needs, not the needs of an unforeseeable future homeowner.

 We worked with a contractor to plan our conversion.

 We did our homework, discussed our goals and planned the design before moving forward with construction.

 It's been so fun watching the transformation!
    
 We had amazing contractors that helped us create this beautiful space.

 But, oh my goodness, the mess!  I forgot to mention the dry wall dust.  For the last few weeks, our home became a construction site.  Our daily routines were interrupted as someone was always walking through our kitchen.

 It's truly been a positive experience.  The messy details ensured beautiful results.

 The paint color has been carefully chosen to fit our my style.  I chose a light color to keep the room bright.  Benjamin Moore- Abalone (matched to Glidden Paint)

 My husband let me have my way with every decision, except for the fans.  I wanted pretty light fixtures, but he insisted on ceiling fans for air circulation and to keep the room cool in the summer.  It makes total sense!  We preferred the look without lights.

 I've ALWAYS wanted a window seat.  I dreamed of a window seat with a cushion and lots of pretty pillows.  I love having the extra space for storage too.  Oh the possibilities...
  
Just a few more things to finish before we can call this room complete.  But we're all so amazed how different it looks.  My creative juices have been flowing and I cannot wait to decorate.  We gained 480 square feet of living space and I'm really excited to make it cozy.  I'll be back in a few months to share the full reveal with you!  Yes, months!  Unfortunately it's expensive to decorate a big empty room.