Shelf Styling ||Tips and Tricks||

Hi friends! Dropping by today to answer a couple questions we received last week on Instagram regarding shelf styling! In no way am I a pro or expert on such a science, (because that's what it feels like sometimes!), but through so much trial and error it's a task that feels much easier now than when I was first starting out. I guess we could part ways with the age old advice that practice makes perfect, but that's just outdated. Hah! (I kid. I like practice and enjoy sharing my finds through practice)

So here are some tips I've found helpful in the task of styling shelves. No big secrets or groundbreaking news here; just a few helpful tricks I've used to guide my way through styling a shelf, mantle, bookcase, or the like.

This was one of the first things I learned that made the biggest difference! Just because the surface space is there doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be filled with something. Don't be afraid of empty space. Pick a few things, spread them out, and allow the shelves to breath.

On shelves I plan to put a whole lot of the same thing on, like our basement built-in bookshelves, I try to mix up the heights. Whenever books are involved, I place taller books alongside shorter ones to give some variation and interest to the arrangement.

I recently saw someone post a photo on Instagram of their floor to ceiling buildtins, asking for help with the styling on the shelves. The first thing I noticed was that they seemed to have dark decorative pieces all on one side, and neutral/white pieces on the other. The balance was off just a bit. Once you have a few decorative objects, try making two separate piles that share some commonalities - similar sizes and similar color/saturation. If you have all your larger or darker items on one side, the balance will look off.

For our industrial shelves, I had a lot of space to work with and a lot of items to use! I knew I wanted my glass and books, and then I had an assortment of other items from around the house to fill in here and there. I started with my two groups - placing the glass up top and the books two shelves down, so that my most 'full' shelves weren't right near each other. Then I used a dark twiggy wreath and black framed feather to balance two dark things on either side of the same shelf. Not everyone likes perfect symmetry, so if you're going with an asymmetrical arrangement with different objects, you can still achieve a pleasing balance by strategically placing similar sized and colored pieces on each side.

Now, this one is completely a matter of personal opinion. :) I just love walking into a home and seeing personal keepsakes used to decorate the home. Family photos, favorite books, travel mementos, treasured family heirlooms. With today's access to big stores like HomeGoods, Target, Ikea, World Market, (to name a few), it's easy to do up your entire home without a single personal item out in the open. I'm up for a trip to any one of these stores any day of the week, don't get me wrong! But I always try to mix in some sentimental pieces with the new. It's what will set your home apart from anyone else's. 

In our living room I keep leather-bound photo albums on the rustic bakers rack. When I was young my favorite thing to do was curl up with one of our family photo albums. My Mom was so good about filling those albums and we had a dozen at least to flip through! I like mine out as an open invitation to grab one anytime.

Other trinkets on those shelves include the family home phone that used to be in my husband's grandparent's house, and the bottom of one of the green glass champagne bottles from my grandparent's wedding reception. It has their names and wedding date etched into the glass! 

Personal items are wonderful conversation starters and take a home from beautiful to warm and inviting as well.

I know none of these tips are brand new news, but I hope they're a helpful jumping off point if you're staring at some empty shelves wondering what to do! We've all been there - and I still am sometimes! If you've got any helpful styling tips to add, please jump in and share! Don't keep your tricks up your sleeve - get em' out!

As always, thank you so much for stopping by! We sure appreciate you. XO

How d'ya do, Mr. McCall?

One of the biggest shames of my life is that I have 'obvious disgust face'. I can't swallow something that tastes bad in my mouth without distorting my face in obvious disgust. I can't watch something graphically disturbing without 'obvious disgust face'. And I certainly can't get past a fowl smell without it either. I literally wear my disgust on my face. For shame! It's like I'm 5 years old! Sometimes I can't even tell I'm making 'obvious disgust face' until my husband catches my eye and gives me 'disappointed face'. LOL

Needless to say, there's one home decor element that we've never mentioned on our cozy blog here but is a pretty big deal! Home scents, yo! What you smell when you walk into a home is the biggest first impression you'll have, without even realizing it. A room can be beautiful and comfortable, but if somethin' is smellin' funky, you know you're not sticking around long!  

I'm so excited to hep introduce a brand new product on the market, (launching TODAY), from an awesome small business, (which we are ALL about here at StyleMutt Home):

Mr. McCall's Fine Fragrances

We met Mr. Tyler McCall on Instagram a while ago and have enjoyed following his passion for home decor transform into home fragrances! He's created a line of scents using all natural ingredients, (100% pure essential oils + water), and is launching this fabulous line right now on www.mrmccalls.com!

Here's a quick breakdown of this fragrance line which includes three amazing scents:

Awake - scented with sweet citrus, energizing mint, and aluring garden herbs
Relax - scented with soothing eucalyptus, calming lavender, and warm patchouli
Asleep - scented with relaxing lavender

These fragrances have been so thoughtfully concocted they seem to have magical powers! Just take a look at these wild children running reckless, jumping off tables, (who's kids are these anyway?!):

And after a spritz of Relax:

Amazing, right!?! But in all seriousness, we've been spraying Asleep, (a calming scent using lavender), in the boys' room in the evenings before bed and they have been calming down so much better! Usually, it's like a frat house up there until 10pm, now it's more like a couple of baby monkey's. Bearable. I've already asked for an industrial size supply of this life changing room spray!

Mr.McCalls fragrances are now a regular element of our home and I sure hope you'll give them a try! Please head over to www.mrmccalls.com and enter code august15off to receive 15% off your first order! And if you are on Instagram, please go show your support to @mrmccalls!

Thank you all for stopping by and enjoy a beautiful weekend!

Pretty + Simple Surface Organization

Do we all agree there are worse things than a cluttered, unorganized dresser? Of course there are! But it's amazing the effect that living with disorganization can have on a person. It's unsettling! But how unsettled do we allow ourselves to get before we do something about it? Do you organize as you go day in and day out? Do you dump on a surface for a month before you put things away? Or do you wait until you absolutely can't find what you need to buckle down and tackle the job? Our tolerance for disorganization may differ from person to person, but at some point, I think it does affect us negatively. Why live that way? 

I recently tackled a corner of our bedroom that's been unattended for quite some time. This beautiful dresser, (part of a family heirloom bedroom set), has been the end-of-day dumping ground where we empty pockets of receipts and loose change, kid's drawings, and random doodads. It never got wildly out of control so we've just sort of lived with it this way for the past few years.

I had an epiphany one day - if I put in even the smallest amount of effort into this dresser top, it could change the way we use it! The first place I started was removing the items that could go elsewhere, (or in the trash).

After a short trip to Target scoping out what they had on clearance, I came home with a small lamp, candle, black washi tape, and wire desk organizer. My total cost was $20 but the collective impact of these items dramatically changes this corner. Check it out!

Ah, much better!  Without removing the sentimental pieces, (kids art, a homemade plaque,  an old pic from our newlywed days), and with a few new, modern additions, this corner is  functional, airy, and  much more appealing.

This wire desk organizer, found for $3, is a great way to stash colognes, perfumes, receipts, golf score cards, whatever!

With a gazillion colors and patterns of Washi tape out there, it can be tough to decide what to use! I absolutely love the thin, black option - it's clean, classic, and gives a modern flair to an ever-changing gallery.

I don't claim to be even a half-way decent organizer, (that's Cate's expertise!), but I can certainly tackle one corner, one surface, one shelf at a time. Baby steps, folks, baby steps. 

Thank you all so much for stopping by!