How to Create a Boho Gallery Wall

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Gallery walls are my favorite. I LOVE collecting quirky, unique art from thrift stores and Etsy shops. I have art my kids have made, art my friends have painted, and art from my Nana’s hands. It makes me giddy to find an original painting at Goodwill…because someone took hours and hours to create magic on that canvas, and I get the opportunity to help it live on for longer! I have also found funky pieces at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Target…whenever I see something and my heart skips a beat, I know it should be on the wall! Every item on our walls has a story…and memories attached. Putting up art makes me feel truly HOME.

Isn’t it a crazy change?! The coziness level increases ten fold! We finished this room just a few days ago…and now we can’t stop hanging out in there! The wall makes it even more fun. And because I know someone will ask…I got the rug from RugsUSA (Multi Chevron), and all of the furniture was bought on marketplace. We love buying things second-hand! This couch was such a fun story…Matt found it on marketplace and it turns out the owner was a blog reader here years ago! We got to meet when we picked it up…it’s just such a small world! Hey Mara! Check out your couch! It’s definitely well-loved here!

Gallery Wall Tips:

  • Just begin. Stop thinking about it and do it! Pick up your biggest piece and start there.

  • Get the right tools. We only use screws…never nail & hammer (although you could). Many times, we will just screw right through the frame to secure it. That was a trick we started using when we hung art in our RVs. Use double stick tape to secure unruly pieces that want to sway every time someone walks in the room.

  • Give yourself enough time so that you’re not rushing. It took us about 90 minutes to do the upstairs and 45 min to do the basement. But we are experienced professionals LOL…so plan for longer if you’re new to this! There is, however, a benefit to setting a timer/goal so that you don’t get hung up on every little detail.

  • Lay everything out on the floor. Have someone hold it up and look at it from far away (you’ll notice a lot of this in the video!). Don’t forget to mix and match horizontal with vertical. I know some people say to cut out the shapes of each frame from newsprint and hang them on the wall first. In all my years of making these, I’ve never done that. But if you tend to lean to the crazy perfectionist side, you might consider doing that.

  • Have a helper. But not 2 helpers. More people = more opinions. And more opinions will only slow you down!

  • Be methodical and keep moving forward. Matt and have I this down to a science. I place it and hold my finger on the wall where he needs to place the screw, and bam. Done. Repeat that 32 more times and we’re done.

  • Keep it tight. I like a pretty tight seams in between each piece. I’ve seen some that hardly have any space at all and it looks cool too! This is one of the biggest mistakes people make…not putting the art close enough and not using ENOUGH pieces of art.

  • Go high if you can! Our wall is a bit low in this room, but you can see in my Texas house that I was able to create more of a “shape” with the wall. I love tapering it off to the sides with smaller pieces and also having a peak.

  • Create layers and use unexpected pieces. I love to add shelves for more art or something fun like a jar of glitter! Here is a closer photo of the shelves I used in TX). Anything you can use that creates a 3-D effect (sticking out away from the wall) adds interest.

  • Repeat your color combos. It might look like I just threw anything I could find on the wall! But there is actually quite a bit of thought that goes into what I’m including and what gets left out. I lean toward green, blue, coral, and mustard…and that unifies all of the pieces. You want it to look “cohesively chaotic” to get that boho vibe. :)

  • Stay within the same “tones” with your art. You’ll notice that the living room has more muted tones and the basement is a bit more whimsical and light/bright.

  • Have fun and don’t get too serious about it all. You can always go back and change something out if you don’t like it!

And because we completed the living room, we thought we better do the basement as well! This is where we “live” right now while we are remodeling. The purple coverlet in the bottom left corner below is our bed, and then there are 2 additional bedrooms for Lucy and Emma (Bella has her room upstairs). I have wanted to put up our gallery wall down here for SO long…but it just kept getting pushed back because other projects were more important.

But look at it! Now I can’t believe we waited for so long…I get excited just to walk down the stairs now! These are IKEA Farlov couches with Soferia velvet slipcovers. The rug is the Berber Moroccan Diamond rug from RugsUSA.

Just remember friends…it’s not about perfection. Keep it quirky…it’s the best way!

The Power of Outdoor Play

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As soon as one sparkly flake makes it’s way into view…there are shouts of “SNOW!!” throughout the house. We have a deep love for the fluffy white blanket of fun…and that love has been intentionally nurtured over the years with our girls. When Bella was young we enrolled her in an outdoor survival program…and I basically dropped her off in the woods to spend the day in nature. She LOVED it. All of the girls grew up “on the road”…where the majority of our time was spent outdoors by way of necessity. The outdoors was our living room. Rain or shine…we have constantly told them: “No bad weather, just bad clothes”. Or…the more formal “full” quote:

Did you know that the average child gets only 4-7 minutes of free outdoor play each day? And yet, “children who play outside are less likely to get sick, to be stressed or become aggressive and are more adaptable to life’s unpredictable turns’. (Richard Louv). There is a disconnect here.

When I was young and without today’s devices, the only thing to do was to PLAY OUTSIDE. And play we did! We rode our bikes, we swam, climbed trees, explored, built forts…and we were exhausted every day in a wonderful way. Today’s distractions lead to an absurd amount of time spent behind screens instead of outdoors.

I LOVE the 1000 Hours movement…created specifically to outnumber the screen hours with outdoor play hours! They have trackers and ideas and a fantastic podcast as well. Be sure to check them out for inspiration!

I also created an Amazon list of books that explore this topic. I have always been so fascinated with how children develop and what impacts them the most in those younger years. I am always encouraging younger mothers to “just let them play!!”…instead of enrolling them in programs and schools and endless instruction of “how to be a child”. They learn the MOST from unstructured play time. They learn how to communicate, take risks, and negotiate. They develop resilience, strength, and fine motor development. I could go on and on…but you get the picture. It’s not just a nice thought…it’s a requirement!

This philosophy of “free range children” falls in seamlessly with our unschooling lifestyle. But truly, anyone can spend more time outside!

So how can we do that? Find something that everyone in the family can enjoy! When we lived in Puerto Rico…it was easy to get out to the beach every day and the whole family loved it. Here in South Dakota it’s a bit different and sometimes more challenging during part of the year…but it still feels like we are always outside. Whether we are taking care of the chickens, or tending the garden, or taking a sunset walk…it all counts!

In the winter, we love our snowshoes! And they are even more fun when there are 6 foot drifts! LOL! Sometimes it feels daunting to get on all the clothing and gear to get outside…especially when the temperatures are dropping into single digits now. But it’s WORTH IT! We always feel invigorated and in a far better mood…it’s nature’s magical medicine.

It all boils down to LEADING them to love being outdoors! Every day, someone in the family should be exclaiming…“Let’s go outside!!” and then DO IT. Even if you are just starting with 15 minutes…you must start.

But don’t forget…having the right gear is SO important. If you skimp on the quality…you will be miserable if it’s cold or wet. It’s worth investing in quality! We are huge fans of merino wool (breathable but warm & no itch) and down (so warm!)…and lots of layers! Start with a thin wool base layer, add a wool sweater, wool leggings, snow pants, and then pop on the down coat and you’re off! Oh! Don’t forget your wool socks!

Brands we love:

Make sure everything is dry and ready to go. Have bins of hats, scarves, and gloves for easy accessibility. Get yourself a boot/glove dryer…we love ours!

Even the cats came out to play…with their built in fur coats! They LOVE when we walk in the woods…they must know that it means something special, because they always come running!

Get outside today friends…you will be so glad you did.

Amelia Island Getaway

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White sand, waves, and dear friends….that’s what this past week held for us! We spent Monday - Friday in Amelia Island, Florida for our annual Blue & Presidential Diamond Retreat for dōTERRA. This is our 6th year attending and it’s always one of my favorite events of the year. It’s where we truly get to just sit and REALLY talk with our peers about what’s going on in their business and life. The kind of talks where you have no where to be in an hour or two or three. We were hosted by our owners and corporate team…and it was an absolute gift to be able to connect with them and hear what they have in mind for 2022. They always spoil us…this time we received OluKai boots, cashmere scarves, journals, limited edition oils, and other goodies! So wonderful.

My heart was happy to take in all of the green and flowers and beauty all around! It was hot and sunny AND cool and rainy…so we got the best of all worlds! It never stopped being HUMID though! LOL! There were a few points that I found myself longing for the dry, freezing cold air of the midwest! I know…I know! Weird. But most of the time it was just dreamy. We’ve never experienced that corner of Florida…so that was fun too!

We had a lovely view…and we enjoyed sitting out on the patio and soaking it up. The Ritz really does a great job with all of their food, but especially room service! Loved these omelettes! We had an extra day after the event was over to walk in the adorable downtown and stroll on the beach. But I’m thankful that Matt and I both really just like to veg out on vacation…we watched movies and ordered Thai takeout and Facetimed the kids at home. And it was the best.

I feel like we have lived a lifetime with these friends…so many events and trips all around the world together! We have had more fits of laughter than I can count…and this time was no different. It may have involved someone placing a fart machine under Matt’s chair during a very quiet part of the presentations. Oh we have good times. Christian…I’ll be watching you like a hawk next time! LOL!!

Oh and look at these beauties! When I look in the eyes of these women…I feel so overcome with gratitude. For each of them in their uniqueness, and so many others that dōTERRA has brought into my life. True world changers…who have been there for me on the mountaintops and in the depths.

We stayed out chatting until long after our kick-off dinner was over…eventually they came and took the lights down as well! It’s been 2 years since we’ve been able to see many of these friends…so every moment had to be seized!

There were many fun moments during this trip…but two really stuck out. We had Ryan Hamilton come in and perform for us and we laughed and laughed and laughed. I think my neck and face still hurt from all the laughing! And on the last night, we played dōTERRA-style family feud and that had us rolling again. Whooping and hollering and cheering…Team Deep Blue vs. Team Serenity!! Seriously the most fun.

I love being on trips with Matt…we can talk without interruption! And go wherever we want! Whenever we want! LOL! It’s a dream. We both enjoyed the break from remodeling and cleaning and cooking and all the things. Sometimes I have to pinch myself at all the life we have lived since finding dōTERRA…and the freedom it gives us. And when I think of all the people who have found hope and healing because we said “yes” all those years ago, it makes my heart so happy!

We love to show people how to run their own business and work from home…just like we do. In fact…we offer personalized one on one mentorship for those who are serious about making a change. You can learn more about it here!

From white sand to white flakes…we returned to 6+ inches of snow falling. Sigh…the perfect way to come home.