Baking With Kids - Made Easy!

This post is in partnership with Christmas Tree Shops andThat! All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

'Tis the season of baking! I'm not usually one to enjoy being in the kitchen, but there is just something about the holidays that makes me want to break out all the cookware I received eons ago as wedding gifts and channel my inner Betty Crocker. 

My kids? My kids are the complete opposite. One of them loves baking. So much so that this year she requested a baking birthday party. Complete with a gift request list full of baking items. Clearly this is a skill set she gets from her father. 

No those of you with young children know that baking with them isn't always easy. 

Or clean. 

But it's the holidays and 2020 - and fortunately there isn't a wine shortage. 

Bring on baking with the kids! 

This year I've been able to find some cute and fun ways to make baking easy for me and fun for the kids. All with the help of one of my favorite home decor stores. 

A girlfriend and I decided while the kids were in school to meet up and do a little Christmas decor shopping. She had never been to Christmas Tree Shops andThat!, and I was shocked! It is one of my favorite go-to places for all things home related. They always have on trend home decor items and gorgeous high quality seasonal decor - but for a price that doesn't break the bank. 

Not surprising - when we entered the store we were immediately in love with all of the sparkly baubles and festive holiday necessities. 

Also not surprising - we both left with two carts full of purchases and phone calls from our husbands asking if really needed two more flocked trees in the house.

Um, yes. Yes we do.  

But the best part was that they had a TON of baking goodies on hand! Not only did andThat! have a great supply of treats and all the ingredients needed (even gluten free options!), they had an amazing assortment of bakeware, holiday dishes, and gifting baskets. 

I was going to take the price tags off for photos, but then kept them on because I was shocked at how inexpensive everything was! Under two dollars for a porcelain holiday dish?! Amazing! 

My friend and I were able to stock up on all of our holiday baking needs for the entire season - all in one spot! 

While also buying an entire collection of bottle brush trees for our mantles. 

And some additional mommy baking prep...

If that's not the definition of a Christmas miracle, I don't know what is. 

It was so fun shopping for all the things at andThat!, but it was even more fun surprising the kids with the baking goodies set I created to kick off our holiday baking season. 

I even found these adorable "Official Cookie Tester" matching fleeces for the girls at andThat!

How cute are they?!

The kids had a ton of fun last week while we were on break putting together the gingerbread houses I found. The Ninja-bread cookies we plan on doing one day this week. I'll share because if you have ninja-loving kid the cookie cutters that came with the kit are so fun! 

Now to get crackin' on all the holiday baking gifts. Get excited - neighbors/friends/family! Me in an apron in front of an oven only happens one time a year! 

All home decor items, baking items, and treats in this post came from Christmas Tree Shops andThat! To find a location closest to you and learn more about the store - visit here!

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Master Bedroom Makeover: Part 2

A few months ago, I decided it was time to update our Master Bedroom. Our bedroom was looking sort of sad and neglected compared to some of the other rooms in our home. I went to one of my favorite stores and shopped my heart out for some new bedding and decor, but even though I was happy with the results it still didn't quite look as "finished" as I had in my head.

After the New Year, Mr. Cute surprised me by saying he was taking a week off from work to stay home and wanted to knock out some home projects. We made a list of ideas and prioritized what we wanted to do. I was surprised when he picked my idea for our Master Bedroom out first. He looked at my idea and said he could create the trim work I envisioned in just a few days. I was so excited!

Our bedroom is such a large space, and I think what bothered me was that the walls were just so plain. I'm a huge sucker for trim work and almost every room in our house now has some (thanks handy husband!), but our sad little bedroom was left out along the way.

We chose to do a taller Board & Batten around the room, and Mr. Cute put his carpentry skills to work.

Within two days he had the trim completed, and within three caulked and painted. I was so impressed! It totally transformed our entire room!

As he was doing all the hard labor, I called up Carrie Beth to help me grab some of the finishing details. She was working on her closet/office makeover so I thought we could tag team our efforts and bounce ideas off one another. Not to mention shopping with your bestie is just so darn fun.

We found the softest, dreamiest bedding for a shockingly inexpensive price. 

And after two trips we got the throw pillow situation just right. 

And while team Magnolia efforts were focused on trim work, painting, and throw pillow hunting by day, at night I was scouring the Internet for a set of new chairs. Our bedroom already had a little sitting area set up, but I knew to make the room complete we'd have to update that a bit too. In my mind I had leather wing backs, but then I stumbled upon these gorgeous recliners and knew they would be perfect.

They coordinate perfectly with the storage bench at the end of my bed, and I know if we ever rearrange our furniture in the future, I can utilize all three together in a different space if needed.

We found this round side table during our shopping trip and I knew it was the perfect size for the space. Bonus that it matched my bedroom furniture perfectly. It comes in several colors, and almost did something to mix it up, but decided to have it be uniform to the rest of the furniture.

We have a few more minor touches to add to the room, but for now I'm loving our new master bedroom!

ALL IN THE DETAILS

It was so fun pulling this room together. Here are all the details in case you are interested in doing something similar or saw something you liked. 

• Paint Color (trim) - Egg Shell White from Sherwin Williams
• Paint Color (walls) - Agreeable Beige from Sherwin Williams
• Reclining Chairs (come in several colors)
• Side Table
• Storage Bench
• Striped Pillows
• Ruffle Pillows
• Macramé Pillows 
• Plaid Throw Blanket
• Blue Curtains
• White Bedding
• Striped Bedding
• Striped Sheets
• Lamps
• Kate Spade Photo Frames
• All other Frames & Accessories purchased from here. 

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Master Bedroom Makeover

Thank you CTSandThat! for sponsoring this post.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Updating and organizing my house has been priority one since school has gone back into session. The few hours a week I get to myself, I've spent cleaning out closets, getting rid of unused home decor, and updating certain spaces. One of the spaces that needs an overhaul is our Master Bedroom. Luckily, I knew just where to go to get a little help! andThat! literally has everything, and now our bedroom is on it's way to being the glamorous space it should be.

Out With the Old (and drab!)

Our Master Bedroom is large, and a place where we spend a lot of time surprisingly. The kids have a built-in cabinet that contains toys in it to play with. Often they come into our room to play because of the vast amount of floor space. We have a built-in bookshelf, an entertainment center, and a seating area - it's a space that gets used a lot.

I have always tried to purchase great bedding, but I recognized otherwise it's pretty plain. So, I thought if we are spending so much time in here we can at least spruce it up a little bit. Make it less lackluster, and more like a cozy put together dreamy space.

The Wishlist 

Okay, so I knew I wanted to stay in a similar color palette that I already had going - creams, whites, and pale blues. With such dark, heavy furniture I want to keep everything else light.

I have a few things on my bedroom wishlist:

• A rug
• An end of bed bench
• Table lamps
• Artwork for either side of the dresser
• New chairs for the seating area
• Frames & Accessories 
• Optional: Bedding (because I just can't resist)

Am I forgetting anything???

andThat! Makes Things Oh So Dreamy!

It's no secret that we love andThat!. It has a ton of departments filled to the brim with great items. I just knew I would be able to knock out a pretty large part of my wish list here (if not all of it!).

I tried to not get distracted by all of their adorable Fall decor (trust me, it was tough) and made my way straight back to their bedding section. They have a huge bedding section filled with everything you would need to outfit your bed - pillows, comforters, mattress covers, sheets, quilts and more!

I instantly fell in love with their Grainhouse line. It's an exclusive farmhouse-inspired line, and it is darling. The Grainhouse bedding is gorgeous and inexpensively priced. I'm not sure there are many places where you can find quality bedding for less than $30.

I had a hard time choosing which one I loved the most, but I couldn't resist grabbing this striped quilt set.

Just before I went on my shopping trip I had ordered new lamps for my bedroom. After seeing the huge selection andThat! has in stock, and all their dreamy options, I kind of wish I had waited. They had so many ones that coordinated with what I had in mind, and at a much better price than the ones I ordered.

I just loved this tall option. I might have to go back and get it. I loved the turned wood, and it comes in a variety of colors!

I had put a bench on my wish list, and I had no idea andThat! had such a great selection of those too! In my head, I wanted something quilted and plush, and when I turned the corner from the lighting department there she was!

As a bonus, this bench opens into storage too! Which is perfect for my throw pillow obsession. I grabbed the cream colored one and could have stopped there because my whole day was made.

But I was on a high, and ready to tackle accessories!

I mean, I might have blacked out for a moment when I saw all the cute finds I could get my hands on and bring home. The lanterns, candles, and frames are all just what I was looking for!

I love that andThat! carries most items in multiple sizes so you can layer your space, or grab the right size you might need but maintain the same look.

I stocked up my cart with various size frames, various candles and candle holders, a few fun signs, and a little surprise or two that wasn't on my list. It was the perfect place to get all my bedroom decor needs!

In With The New!

After I came home from my shopping trip I couldn't wait to put everything together in my bedroom! I still have a few things on my list I want to grab for the space, but for now, it looks a million times better!

The bench might be my favorite find of all. I love how it breaks up my dark furniture and it's come in handy to put on shoes, store extra pillows and sheets, and just to keep it real - the kids love jumping off of it onto our bed. It's a winner for the whole family!

I love that I was able to work off of what I already had and just add little special touches here and there! Starting from scratch would have gotten really expensive, and overwhelming. 

Considering andThat! is so budget friendly, I have a lot of wiggle room left over to find a rug and new seating without breaking the bank. I love how it turned out and can't wait to put all the final touches on it! Now to actually try to get some sleep in it...

Stay tuned for all the final details soon! In the meantime, you can check out #andThatshoppingchallenge on social media to get more inspiration for your home, and see what other andThat! fun finds are out there! 

What is one room in your house you wish you could re-do? Anything that you saw that you absolutely loved? Share with us! 

 

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