Hi there!
Question – how long is too long to go without decorating your new house/place? Reason I ask is because although Ben and I have unpacked 95% of our boxes, we have yet to decorate, uh, any room except the baby’s. We’re kind of waiting to see how our furniture situation shakes out before hanging big pieces, styling book cases, etc, which means the walls are still pretty much bare. Do we hang and decorate now then move pieces later when we decide on furniture, or do we just wait it out?
Since furniture buying will be a gradual process, I don’t want to find ourselves with still-empty walls a year from now, but at the same time I don’t want to hang things up then have to re-hang and fill holes later.
#firstworldproblems
One thing’s for sure is that the built-ins on either side of the mantle in the family room aren’t going anywhere, so I’m hoping to stop by a few of my favorite antique/restoration stores this weekend to pick up some cool/quirky accent pieces. I’m way too excited for this. Ben and I are also getting out for one final yeehaw tonight, including dining at a restaurant we’ve been meaning to visit for years. Not too long before it won’t be just the two of us anymore!
Well, wherever you are, and whatever you do I hope you have a fabulous weekend, and in the meantime please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web in this week’s Friday Favorites!
Click the light blue links to be taken to the original source.Â
Favorite munch: Monster Cookie Dough Popcorn. BISCOFF, people. There’s melted biscoff in here!
Favorite find: Tripod Floor Lamp. I’ve been seeing these tripod floor lamps everywhere lately. I just think they’re so cool, rustic, and artsy looking. This one from Pottery Barn is on sale right now too. Wohoo!
Favorite fresh: Kale, Apple & Pancetta Salad. Yep, all the things.
Favorite bite: Chocolate and Peanut Butter Bugles. Salty bugles filled with creamy buckeye filling then dipped in chocolate. These would be perfect for tailgating this fall!
Favorite funny: Chick Lineup. I don’t know why but this made me laugh like crazy. I think it’s because the chick is trying so hard to not look guilty.
Favorite sweet: Peach Pecan Crumble Bars. The peaches I’ve been buying lately have been incredibly sweet. So sweet that I often can’t stop at just one. I know. Love these crumble-topped peach bars.
Favorite print. I think it’s nice to say pom-pom too. Whee – high kicks!
Favorite treat: Tangy Raspberry Fool. Raspberry puree layered with lemon-spiked homemade whipped cream. Simple, refreshing, and luscious.
Favorite tutorial: How to Achieve a Well-Styled Bookcase. Tons of great ideas here – and just in time for my little project!
Favorite sip: Watermelon-Lime Margaritas. Frozen watermelon “ice cubes.” That is all.
Favorite show: Naked and Afraid. Can we talk about the fact that Ben’s and my current favorite new show is called Naked and Afraid, on the Discovery Channel? 2 people, 1 remote location, 21 days, NAKED. And afraid. I can’t stop watching.
Favorite bite: Buffalo Chicken Waffle Fries. Ooo, these look good. It’s been far too long since I had anything buffalo-flavored!
Favorite lick: Oreo Pudding Pops. I finally got my popsicle molds (snagged some from my Mom who bought, like, 10 sets of 5 for the grand kids) and can’t WAIT to try this recipe out!
Have a good one! : )
Denise 07.19.2013
Naked and Afraid is awesome!!!! Hmmmmm….we have been in our house 7+ years now and still have nothing up. Four kids have destroyed it, and we are waiting until they ALL know they can’t destroy anything until we think of making it nice!
Jen 07.19.2013
I once lived in an apartment for THREE YEARS without putting a single thing on the walls!! I just moved into a new place and I’m determined to not let it go that long this time!
Ani D 07.19.2013
Ahh I used to make those Bugle treats in elementary school!! Such good memories :)
Emily @ Life on Food 07.19.2013
I haven’t had bugles since 5th grade. oh man! And that popcorn. I need that popcorn.
Joanna Gehrke 07.19.2013
I am so thankful you posted the how long is too long question- loving reading all these answers, especially since most of them sway towards taking your time! Been thinking of you since you are what, 39 weeks now? Best of luck, Kristin!! Enjoy your “last” date night as a family of 2! And the buffalo chicken waffle fries will be made this weekend for sure! Especially since my Hy-Vee has 2.99 rotisserie chicken breasts :)
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking 07.19.2013
I need those margaritas and waffle fries, and STAT! Thanks for sharing, Kristin. Have a great weekend!
Linda 07.19.2013
Take your time. If you hang stuff now you will be looking at it while you nurse or rock or wander around the house swinging the baby and want to move everything. Also use 3m contact picture hanging strips. movable, removable and non permanent. I love these and it’s a quick way to hang something up for a quick nice look (just not too heavy). Good Luck!
Barbara 07.19.2013
I’m kicking myself right now because I didn’t buy that camera tripod I saw at the local Goodwill last week!! That would have made a great lamp for my son!! I gotta try those oreo pops! :-D I definitely will be copying the white shelves with the blue wall! I was looking for the doggie picture…but, chicks are cute, too!!
Nancy 07.19.2013
TOTALLY forgot you moved! Show us pics! Unless you already showed us and I missed that post. What a loyal reader am I hahaha…
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life 07.19.2013
We have been in our home for over 4 years and I am still trying to decide on what to put in pictures and where to hang them. Homes are always a work in progress I think. Take your time and do it how you like it. And thank you so much for sharing my Monster Popcorn…it was so fun to stop by and see you shared it :-)
Nicole G 07.19.2013
You are fine not decorating yet! Totally acceptable! We just moved from a 1000 sq ft 2 bedroom, 1 bath home to a 2700 sq ft 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home last month. Trust me, it’s empty. We did buy new living room, master bedroom, and dining room furniture but have so many projects to tackle. I have yet to hang anything or buy anything to hang for that matter. We still need to hang the living room television so the living room furniture is just positioned to see the tv right now, ie. blocking the fireplace. And we bought a brand new king-size bed but no bedding yet aside from a set of sheets. I am waiting for PB and West Elm to release their Fall 2013 stuff. I love the coziness of fall bedding over the spring/summer styles. I figure the house won’t really look the way we want for the next 8-12 months and that’s ok. Now that we are finally here we have nothing but time ;-) enjoy your new place!
Lauren 07.19.2013
So glad you posted about this first world problem! We are in the same boat. I keep going back and forth between wanting to put stuff on the walls up to help us feel settled and then go back to deciding to wait until we have more furniture in place. Keep us posted with pics of your bookshelves! Good luck getting ready for your baby to arrive!
Tracy 07.19.2013
Re decorating I say wait it out. There’s no rush! Take your time and do it how you really want it. If you just do a temporary decor it’s easy to be lazy about really finishing it like you’d like.
Lindsay @ Life, Love and Sugar 07.19.2013
OMG that popcorn and the raspberry fool look awesome! As for house decorating – we’ve been in our house for 2 1/2 years and while there is stuff on the walls downstairs, there’s not much upstairs and we still haven’t painted. It seems like the project that will never end! :)
Andrea @ The Fit Scoop 07.19.2013
I’m embarrassed to admit It took us nearly 2 years before we hung anything on our walls. It was mostly due to indecision (and partly laziness…ha). In retrospect I think waiting was good because we did accumulate some nice pieces over that time span, and they all look really nice and compliment each other.
Let us know how those oreo pudding pops turn out!
Brittany 07.19.2013
I think you should invest in some of those 3M hanging strips for some of the things you’d like to put up but may end up moving around! You can make the place feel more home-y and lived in while you figure things out! Plus, I bet it’s good for the baby, too!!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl 07.19.2013
That popcorn and those Bugels look SO good! I am a big fan of the sweet and salty combo :). Eating Bugels takes me back to the days of junior high and high school when my friends and I would put them in our fingers to make “witch” fingernails. Gosh, we were cool ;).
Katie 07.19.2013
If you are playing around with decorating and don’t want to put holes in the wall yet, I have heard of using the Command Strips. There’s no worries about patching and painting to cover up any holes if you move things around.
And I want that monster cookie popcorn…now. ;)
erin @hooleywithaz 07.19.2013
you can take as long as you want to decorate. just take it one room at a time (that’s what i’m telling myself as we move into our first house at least!). also, those fries? i am kind of mad at you for introducing the idea into my brain….
Hillary | Nutrition Nut on the Run 07.19.2013
i am all about those watermelon lime margaritas. they will be perfect for this triple digit weekend!