Category Archives: home

5 Sustainable Home Decor Ideas (That don’t involve buying anything!)

Text overlay reads: 5 Sustainable Home Decor Ideas. Save the money, save the planet.

Living a more sustainable lifestyle involves every piece of our lives, including our home decor. Sustainable living is repairing our old jeans, using up our food before it goes to waste, and it’s decorating our home mindfully instead of rushing out to buy the first decor we see at Target.

I personally take a lot of pride in my home. I want a comfortable and beautiful place to live, but I also don’t want to harm the planet in the process.

Here’s 5 sustainable home decor ideas that don’t involve buying anything!

Sustainable Home Decor Idea 1: Shop your home

    I bet you have decor and/or functional home items squirreled away in closets and in cabinets. I consider myself to be minimalistic, but I know I have some hidden treasures! Take out those items and use or display them now. We don’t have to save our “good” plates for a special occasion. Today is special enough.

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    8 Sustainable and Thrifty Ways to Beautify Your Yard

    Yard work > house work any day. I love getting out in my yard, digging in the dirt and feeling the sun on my face. Working in the yard is by far my favorite and IMO, the most satisfying chore. But it can also be expensive and can generate a lot of waste. Over the years I’ve learned how to beautify my yard in some inexpensive and sustainable ways.

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    Building a Little Free Library with Upcycled Materials

    I’ve wanted a Little Free Library to share with my community for a while now. I love the idea of a place where you can share and give books freely. But the timing wasn’t always right. For a while I lived in the country where no one would walk by it. And then we had so many house projects that it got pushed pretty far down the list of importance.

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    Our DIY, Budget Back Porch

    A small back porch on a budget.

    It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do a large DIY project. Since the pandemic, my husband George and I had put our home projects mostly on hold. Although we’re seven months into the pandemic, things with our business and money situation still seem very uncertain. That said, we’ve also been in the house a lot more and the dirt we were tracking in was driving me nuts. So for my sanity, we decided to scrape together some money to rebuild our small back porch on a budget.

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    5 Reasons to Buy a Vintage Rug

    I used to think that vintage or antique rugs were stuffy. My only experiences with seeing antique rugs were in the context of traditional homes with large, dark wooden furniture and oversized drapes. But I’m grateful for designers and bloggers who allowed me to see that vintage or antique rugs can also look modern and add unparalleled warmth to a room. If that doesn’t convince you, here’s 5 Reasons to Buy a Vintage Rug. 

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    Our Small Kitchen’s Renovation: Before and After

    The after!

    This post has been a long time coming. This kitchen took the most time and effort out of any of our home remodel projects. But I love how it turned out and I’m so proud of it.

    Let’s take a peek at the “before.”

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    George’s Office: Before and After

    I’m both relieved and excited to be able to finally show you all the photos of my husband, George’s office. It’s been three years in the making. Although it’s a rather simple space, it’s taken a while to get right.

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    Guest Room Refresh

    Ok, I know it seems like I just made over this room and I did! (See the old photos here.) But it just wasn’t functioning the way I needed it to. And, TBH, I wasn’t 100 percent happy with the colors.

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    The Two Week Declutter

    Decluttering and ultimately living “a small life” has been the catalyst for changing and improving my entire life.⁠
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    Decluttering was the first step to:⁠
    ✔️Saving $30,000 for the downpayment on my small house.⁠
    ✔️Quitting my soul-sucking job and opening up my own business.⁠
    ✔️Traveling to places I had only seen on TV.⁠
    ✔️Reducing my carbon footprint and my reliance on “stuff” to make me happy.⁠
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    To teach other’s the first step to living a happier life, I’ve just opened the Two Week Declutter Email Course. For each day for 14 days, you’ll receive an email from me with a decluttering task. These tasks will range from decluttering your wardrobe and kitchen to decluttering your obligations and mind. ⁠
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    There’s no forum, nowhere to login and no complicated B.S. This is designed to be a simple email course, so you can focus on the important work of decluttering your home.⁠
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    For the next week, I’m offering the course at the introductory rate of $27. That’s less than the price of a Target impulse-buy. I’m offering it at this price against the advice of a business coach because I understand what it’s like to not have much money, but still need help from a professional. After the next week, I’ll be raising the price.⁠
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    If you’re ready to commit to change, click here. If you’re hesitating or have questions, feel free to send me an email or ask in the comments below and I’ll get right back to ya!

    Let’s make 2020 our happiest year yet!
    Melanie

    10 Easy and Eco-friendly Ways to Decorate for the Holidays

    Last year my New Year’s resolution was to explore the Low Waste (or zero waste) Lifestyle. And I’ve definitely done that. I’ve given up paper towels. I’ve been composting. I’ve been eating less meat and I’ve been attempting to use less plastic. It’s not been an easy journey, but I’ve been learning.

    Over this last year it’s become abundantly clear that waste is everywhere, but it’s especially obvious over the holidays. Did you know that, “Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year“?

    One thing I don’t want to give up is decorating for the holidays. It’s fun, it’s festive and it makes me happy. But I know that we can decorate in more eco-friendly ways. Here’s a few ideas:

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