we haven’t always been the best at hosting.
last year when rachel & her sweet husband came for a visit, luke ran into their car while pulling out of our driveway & caused some pretty serious damage.
“hi, we just met you & we wrecked your car.”
awesome.
but we’ve always tried our best to make our guests feel at home.
when we visited ashley’s home last year, we were amazed by her natural knack for hosting. there was a little chalkboard at the entrance with a welcome greeting & her space was just so comfy. she even left little mints on our pillows & a guest book for us to sign.
i will forever remember that trip to ashley’s home because her touches were simple & her home was authentic.
today i’m sharing some simple tips for hosting, inspired by our dear friend ashley & the lessons we’ve learned along the way, that we have implemented in our own home to make our guests feel special!
1. make sure your guest’s space is clean & comfortable – this is a given, but we always wash the sheets & make the bed before guests arrive. even if you do not have a designated room for your guest, set out a pretty basket with clean linens & pillows next to the couch for your guests to see. i also light a candle & include a fresh bouquet of flowers in our guest room.
2. always have budget-friendly, healthy snacks available – being on the road makes me grumpy & hangry. i like to have freshly popped popcorn, carrot sticks with hummus, salsa or pita chips available when our guests arrive. even if they don’t need a snack right then, it’s nice for our guests to have easy access when the munchies happen!
3. make your guests feel special – earlier this year we painted a wall in our guest bedroom with chalkboard paint so we could write messages to our guests. it’s been a hit! even if you don’t have a chalkboard wall, pick up a small chalkboard from the thrift shop or craft store to write a sweet message to your guests. we have also adopted ashley’s guest book idea & include a simple journal in our guest bedroom for guests to write a message about their stay just before leaving our home.
4. include a little welcoming basket or a small gift – this gesture doesn’t have to be elaborate, but if you have a bit of extra wiggle room in your budget, create a welcoming basket for your guests. i like to include local chocolates, soaps & coffee crafted from our town. if your guest is on a road trip & just stopping by, include snacks for the road. when our dear friend arrived with her three little boys, we gifted them a basket full of art supplies & simple toys to play with during their stay.
5. share a cup of coffee or tea with your guests – our coffee bar is one of my favorite corners in our home because it allows us to host our guests effortlessly. they always know that they’re free to grab a cup of coffee or mug of tea anytime. even if you don’t have space for a coffee bar, include a hot water kettle on your stovetop with a basket of tea bags for your guests to freely enjoy.
6. most importantly, be authentic & present. disconnect from your phone. enjoy a meal with your guests & indulge in a good glass of wine while sharing your lives with these special people. that’s what it’s really all about!
what are some of your tips for hosting guests? i’d love to read your ideas & traditions!
love,
natalie
is it really monday?
friends, this weekend was a blur. in the very best way.
you see, months & months ago, a small group of movers & shakers within our community dreamt up a farm dinner of local food cooked over an open flame, signature ozark cocktails, sweet tunes, gourmet s’mores, wonderful people & good conversation to benefit the work of apple seeds.
all of this & much more than we could have ever imagined happened on saturday evening. it was a magical event & oh so much fun!
on a shoestring budget & with overflowing hearts, we pulled this event together. i had the honor of decorating the venue – a two acre teaching farm in the heart of fayetteville. y’all, i pulled every piece of rusty, chippy, vintage-y goodness from our home & made some homegrown happiness happen.
say that three times.
today i thought i’d share with you some eye candy from the event. grab yourself a cup of coffee & sit down with me for just a bit to take in the goodness of saturday’s event.
cheers to an organization & a community of incredible people i dearly love!
love,
natalie
today let’s chat about cleaning.
i often times read cleaning blog posts out of desperation & a healthy dose of guilt. i wonder how i can incorporate a lengthy & rigid cleaning schedule into daily life so that my days may feel a little less hectic & disorganized.
friends, life is messy & my house is oftentimes messy, too. a lengthy, rigid cleaning schedule doesn’t sound fun nor an effective way to decrease my stress level. i’d rather spend time crafting or cuddled up with a good book & a cup of coffee.
perhaps this rings true in your life?
with all that out in the open & said, i do know that a clean & somewhat organized home allows our family to live better & enjoy our space more.
so today i’m here to share a handful of tips & tricks that have helped our family keep our not-so-perfect home clean, our clutter managed & our lives a little less hectic.
my people, i must really love you because i’m sharing my outdated & non-pinterest worthy laundry room with you today. that’s some love, y’all.
1. have a space designated for cleaning supplies. this is elementary, but i cannot tell you how often i go searching for the window spray or scrubby when it’s not in it’s place. we have a small shelf up above our antique (ahem) washer & dryer that holds almost all of our cleaning supplies from borax to rubber gloves.
2. don’t ever leave a room empty-handed. i learned this tip from my fantastic friend, erin of tweet potato pie, & it has saved me hours of picking up homeless crap. when i leave my studio, i pick up my water glass from the night before & place it in the sink on my way to finish chores in the kitchen. when walking to the bedroom, i pick up discarded shoes & place them in the closet. erin suggests doing this with your kiddos, too!
3. i love beauty that move’s imprintable for making your own (simple) housekeeping routine. it’s a bare bones, no frills imprintable that i stick on my fridge & change as our schedules change. each box is small so it only allows you to write a couple of cleaning goals each day, which keeps me focused.
4. keep those floors clean! harder said than done, yes? but worth it! there’s nothing that drives me crazier than a dirty floor. from dog hair to dirt, keeping our floors somewhat clean is a constant struggle. a little tool that’s helped me a lot is this dirt devil vacuum. no, this isn’t an ad. it’s just awesome. i like how compact it is & it makes vacuuming our hardwood floors much easier than sweeping. it’s a great buy for the price.
5. clean mama’s scheduled chore days are oh so helpful. i started following @cleanmama on instagram about a month ago & let’s be honest, i have a big fat crush on her. becky’s rhythm for cleaning the home is comfortable for me & i absolutely love her philosophy of “aim for progress, not perfection.” she posts photos of daily chores on instagram, which is the perfect little reminder for me as i am scrolling through instagram (aka wasting time & procrastinating).
6. tweet potato pie’s blog post on housecleaning tips is inspiring. erin is a dear friend of mine & i greatly admire her for how she keeps her home cozy & clean. i wrote down some of her tips & have been implementing them (don’t leave empty-handed!) for over a month. it’s made such a big difference in our home & i adore her for it!
7. epantry is awesome. i am on my second month of epantry & i love it. it saves me money & let’s just face it, mrs. meyer’s clean day scents make cleaning happier. pantry is a subscription-based cleaning service that allows you to hand-pick cleaning supplies from a wonderfully-curated list of home supplies & mails them right to your door. click here to sign up & you’ll get $10 off your first order (i’ll also get $10, which is also awesome)!
8. cut the clutter. find a place for everything you own. if it doesn’t have a home or you no longer use it, throw it in your thrift shop bag for donations. we keep a bag in my closet. every time it’s full, i take it to the thrift store. i love the quote, “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” & i try to live by this daily.
9. if all else fails, set a timer! if you’re living among chaos, set a timer & do what you can. give yourself a golden star for effort & treat yourself to a cookie!
how do you keep your home clean & manageable? i’d love to read your tips & tricks!
love,
natalie