In the chaos of last year’s grad party season, I pulled together a great party, but didn’t feel like it was worthwhile sharing everything after the fact, since I figured it wouldn’t be very helpful so late in the season.  So, I’m here to share it with you now, in the hopes that someone will be able to make use of it.  This was my first grad party for a daughter, and suffice to say, the experience was dramatically different than what I had with my older sons (whose party ideas are here and here).  My daughter had definite ideas of what she wanted, and she was also very hands on in the process, which I appreciated. We pulled together some great ideas, and I think they’re great graduation party ideas for girls (or even guys!).  Let’s get to it! This post contains some affiliate links. Photo Backdrop One of the things that seems to be really popular right now is the whole idea of a boxwood hedge or backdrop for photos.  Especially for girls. You can rent them, but they can be hard to find, and on the spendy side.  We borrowed a couple of boxwood photo backdrops that had been […]

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Back in the days I participated in the One Room Challenge, I did an extra room in our basement that I called the Zen Den.  It was a bonus space that we ended up using for extra kids sleeping over, or cousins who came to visit.  The trundle bed worked perfectly in here and it was a sweet room that gave us extra sleeping room when we needed it.   The Situation Well, it’s been a bit of a situation down there for awhile, which started with a water issue that we could not pinpoint, despite a lot of time and money trying to do so.  We removed trees, added drainage, cleaned gutters, installed new windows, dug out the space outside of our dining room window, waterproofing and regrading.  All of which didn’t solve the problem.  You can imagine my frustration.  Finally we had a basement waterproofer come and look at it and work their magic, and they were the winning ticket.  I can’t even explain exactly what was happening – but our sump pump was overloaded, they needed to redo the drainage under the slab and add a second sump pump.  We have not had an issue since we […]

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First off, apologies if you had issues linking to my Homearama 2024 Trends Part One in my email yesterday.  Technical problem on my side, that I remedied, but some of you might have missed it.  It’s alive and well, so check it out if you haven’t already.  There is a lot to share with this show, which warranted two posts.  I think I can wrap it all up today!  Let’s continue the discussion on Homearama 2024 trends today. Open Kitchens + White Kitchens Live Open kitchens are still on the menu with Homearama.  I know on social media sometimes says that open floor plans are out, but that doesn’t appear to be the case in these homes.  At least not where the kitchen and main living areas are concerned. While not all of the kitchens were white, and there were none that were all white, but they are still out there.  I will also add that the shades of white were warm, not a stark white.  Often they were paired with warm wood islands and accents, or painted cabinetry, to balance things out.  I know some people are tired of white kitchens, but I still like them when they’re done right and […]

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The weather is turning a bit cooler here, and what a great way to usher in a new season, but with Homearama 2024 Trends! I have been going to these shows for 20+ years now, and they never get old.  I love seeing the trends, and always am on the lookout for ideas to incorporate in my own home. There were six homes on the tour this year, and I found things I liked, some trends across them, and some things I didn’t like.   Overall, a great show.  However, I’m going to have to break this down into a couple of posts, because there is just too much to share! Here are some of the Homearama 2024 trends that I think you’ll appreciate the most. Wallpaper Lives Although I didn’t see a lot in the way of large rooms being covered in wallpaper, I did see a lot of powder rooms and smaller spaces that pulled it in beautifully.  While I have been hesitant to add wallpaper to my home because of the PTSD I have with removing it, I really do love the look on a smaller scale.  The trick is finding something that has longevity, that you […]

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Things have totally gotten away from me and I have so much I want to share! My daughter graduated from high school, we had a grad party (much different for girls vs. boys, FYI), we were invaded by honeybees, took a mother/daughter trip to DC, took a family lake trip, and now we’re in the throes of getting ready to send her to college.  Oh, and both of the boys moved out in June. Good thing we’re going to Italy in the fall, so I have something to look forward to there.  So, a LOT going on.  All good things for the most part (honeybees aside) – it was insane.  I need to dedicate a post just to that experience – it was so fascinating, and I learned so much in the process. Now that I’m on the cusp of an empty nest, I have the urge to do redo things around here.  Let’s face it, now that the kids are leaving, we can have nice things again.  They’re looking to take some of the stuff we don’t need, and that gives me an opportunity to take things in a new direction.   But for now, let’s have some fun with […]

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It’s been a hot minute – things are starting to pick up speed around here, with my daughter graduating from high school next month(!).  It’s been awhile since I’ve thrown a graduation party, and hers will be different from my boys, because she has opinions. The boys pretty much had a couple of simple requests, and that was that. I’m still in denial that she’s flying the nest, and I’m going to miss her so much! We did just get back from an amazing trip to Arizona though, which helps.  My husband and I were gone for two weeks, and the kids joined us for the second week, which was such a gift.  We haven’t taken a trip with all five of us since 2018.  We had plans, but Covid through a wrench in all of that, so I feel lucky that we were able to all go together. I fall in love with Arizona more each time we visit. Enough of my personal babbling, let’s look at some fun things for this Weekend 5+1! This post contains some affiliate links. Strappy Summer Sandals I have been thoroughly enjoying my clothing subscription box deliveries lately, and one thing I came upon and […]

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I haven’t jumped on the Dry January bandwagon (I feel like I did my time with multiple pregnancies), but I am doing a “No Doordash January” instead.  We looked at our Doordash spending for the year, and it was not pretty.  Granted, we didn’t pay for all of it, since we all use the account, but it was a wake up call.  I have been working on cooking more anyway, so this plan feeds into that as well.  I’m happy to say that I have held up my end of the deal! Let’s get on with this Weekend 5+1, shall we? This post contains some affiliate links. Pretty Oil/Vinegar Bottles Since I’ve been working on cooking more and branching out with recipes, it makes sense that these pretty oil and vinegar bottles caught my eye.  I have my olive oil out on the counter, and I’m upgrading it to something pretty.  If salt and pepper get their own pinch pots, then why not oils and vinegars?  They even come with labels so you can make them custom to your needs. St. Tropez Self Tanner I know I’ve shared the St. Tropez Self Tanning Mousse before, but it warrants sharing it again. […]

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It’s been a hot minute since I’ve put together a post, and I ended up not doing a holiday tour this year because it’s super stressful, and I just needed a break.  It may come back next year, in some form, but for once, it was nice to step back a bit, even though the holidays are still busy and hectic! I’ve been giving some thought to things that I want to work on this year, and I would like to get get back to blog basics this year.  Home projects, paint colors, kitchen projects, design ideas.  I have a lot of projects on my to do list here at home, and that’s what I have always loved sharing on this blog. First Project for 2024 My first project is finishing up what once was a basement spare bedroom.  It’s been torn up for awhile due to a water issue that we couldn’t figure out.  We spent an inordinate amount of time and money getting to the bottom of the problem, but it’s finally fixed, and it forced me to think outside the box in terms of design, because I now have a second sump pump in this space. Attractive, yes?  […]

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Here we are, on the verge of Halloween, which means Christmas everything will be starting as soon as the trick-or-treaters are off the street.  I don’t know how it’s happened, but I’m not ready!  The time change, the weather change, all of it.  There just is never enough fall for me.  We’re headed to Scottsdale to celebrate our anniversary, and I can’t wait to spend some time out there, I love it so much. I promise I do have some house project stuff coming your way soon.  I’ve kept things under wraps a bit because we had a situation in our basement that took forever to figure out, so my cute little office area was down to the studs and concrete floors for awhile (more than two years).  But it’s coming back to life, and I look forward to sharing the progress and where I’m going with it.  It’s going to be better than it started by the time it’s all said and done.  In the meantime, a 5+1 post is here to fill the void. This post contains some affiliate links.  See full disclosure here. Wrong Place Wrong Time I just wrapped up a large kitchen project, so I had a […]

The post Weekend 5+1 (5 Things I Love +1 Thing I Don’t) – 10.29.23 appeared first on Evolution of Style.

I feel like we are snowballing towards the holidays, and really am not ready for that just yet.  The weather has settled into a beautiful pattern, and I’m in no hurry for it to change just yet.  Fall in the midwest is one of the best things about living here. Winter, not so much, but fall is a winner.  We had homecoming last week – my daughter is a senior, so this is my last homecoming – and her senior pictures are next week.  Again, I’m in no hurry for things to move any faster than they already are.  Let’s get on with a Friday 5+1 and stop with all of this leaving the nest stuff, shall we?  This post contains some affiliate links. Peel and Stick Towel Holders After installing towel holders and toilet paper holders, I’m left wondering where these peel and stick ones have been my whole life.  So modern and cool, with none of the hassle of normal installations.  Smart for home, college kids, first apartments, you name it! Vuori Joggers I am a subscriber to the Trendsend clothing box (love it, and I’ve gotten lots of great things that I would never have tried, or even […]

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