Kitchen face-lift.

We moved into our house in 2013 but it was built in the 50s. Most of the rooms still had a 50s look to them when we moved in. We've tried our best to update the house and do what we can to make it more our style but it all comes with a cost and a time commitment, of course!

The kitchen was one of the last rooms on the first floor to be touched (other than wall paint -- it was dark green when we moved in and we quickly painted the walls Moonshine by Benjamin Moore). We still have a long way to go... I'd love a new sink, a back splash, new appliances, new countertop, new window.... you get it -- pretty much I'd love a kitchen makeover. BUT... when you can't afford anything at all -- a gallon of paint for the cabinets goes a looooong way!

I was so excited when we got back from Florida to this lovely surprise from my mom and my aunt. They painted our cabinets for us while we were away! They used chalk paint -- white for the top cabinets and the bottoms are Duck Egg Blue. Plus they spray painted the knobs which makes them stand out a bit. Like I said, we still need to figure out the rest of the kitchen (especially those strips of wood on the countertop that I'm not a huge fan of) but it's such an improvement!

I'm so happy with how it turned out and it makes the space feel so bright and airy. Just what I hoped for!

Modern Map Art.

This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links. I received a free print from Modern Map Art but all opinions are 100% mine.

Sean and I often disagree about home decor. For instance, I have a ship painting in one of my bathrooms that I honestly can't even talk about. It's totally not my style but it's his -- so compromise! There are many places in our home that need some personal touches. A bathroom, over our bed and a hallway to name a few. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Modern Map Art. As someone who loves traveling to different cities and as a family who is still choosing the right pieces to decorate our home with (it's all about what brings you JOY after all) -- this artwork seemed like a perfect mesh with our style and our goal of hanging a few more joy-sparking pieces in spaces that are still empty (it's ONLY been 3 years...)! When we received the print, I thought the best place for it to hang was in the bathroom. One thing we do agree on (in home decor) is that pictures of people in bathrooms is not our style. So the bathroom been sitting empty because if there's one thing I LOVE -- it's pictures of people. But when this print came to my doorway I knew just where it would look best!

Before it arrived I'll admit it took a bit for me to decide which map I wanted. I love the idea of displaying maps of places we've vacationed but ultimately chose Boston because it's our home. The city maps make for perfect decorations because they're reasonably priced, come in different colors and sizes and are great quality. It would be easy to get maps from different locations and switch them around within your home decor depending on what's going on in your life! For instance, we're going to Seattle in the summer time and I would love to add a few touches of excitement by looking at a map of the emerald city before and after our trip. 

I also really love the sentimental value in maps. Talk about nostalgia! When I saw the print of Dublin -- I remembered our honeymoon. When I saw the print of New York City -- I thought of walking up and down Manhattan one weekend with Sean. Washington D.C. reminded me of the weekend we traveled there together for a rally. I know they'd be perfect gifts for family and friends. If I get such warm and fuzzy feelings over places we've traveled -- I'm sure others do too! And what better way to keep those feelings alive than to look at a map of said location day in and day out!

I'm also really loving their watercolor skyline prints! They're gorgeous! When I'm ready to place my next order I'm sure I'll choose this style. They are so bright and colorful (think spring and summer!) and just remind me of actually being on vacation. 

You should pop-on over to Modern Map Art and check out their offerings (they have other items, too -- like phone cases and pillows!) :) Happy shopping!