Guest Post: Home Decor with Erin

You guys, today we are so excited for our second guest poster ever! Erin is one of my greatest friends. She's possibly one of the sweetest, most caring, most selfless, funniest, most outgoing people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I'm thrilled that our friendship has lasted as long as it has! I am also thrilled that she agreed to share her opinions on home decor today. I hope you guys will love her as much as I do. Thanks for posting today, Erin : ) (And also, I'm hoping that she'll forgive me for stealing a picture from her Facebook to use... I just really wanted you guys to see how cute she is!)

My name is Erin and I live in Northern Alberta, Canada with my husband. We have lived here for about a year and just purchased our first home!

I am that woman who pins bucket-loads of home decor ideas on Pinterest. And now I can finally apply some of those pins to our home.

Decorating our home is actually a difficult task. First of all, my husband likes input and he never wants anything that looks too “girly.” I suppose that alone limits the type of decor that ends up in our home. Second of all, we live in a very small town where Wal-Mart is pretty much the only available store for acquiring home decor items. Thankfully, there is a store called Home Sense (which is equivalent to the US version of Home Goods) in a town roughly 2 hours away. If you have never stepped food into a Home Goods or Home Sense store, let me forewarn you for the day you do.

GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME! — The store carries everything you could imagine and more. My husband and I spent about 30 minutes just in the pillow section.

YOU WILL LEAVE WANTING EVERYHING! — Go in with a budget already set. It will help limit what you can and can’t buy in the end.

With those words of wisdom now under your belt, you’re ready to start decorating. Stores likes Home Sense/Home Goods, Target, and Wal-Mart can be great sources for finding affordable home decor. Below I am going to show you some examples of pieces you might see in a design and decor magazine, or even on Pinterest, that aren’t necessarily going to be a friend to your wallet. I will also show you similar pieces that you can find at a much more budget-friendly price at a stores like Target and Wal-mart.

Pinterest Pricey images found here: 1 2 3 4

Wallet Friendly items can be purchased here: 1 2 3 4

There is no need to spend your entire savings to decorate a home. Here are a few steps I follow when looking to update my own home décor:

1. Pick one room at a time. I usually start with the entertaining spaces and guest bedroom and leave the master bedroom and office for last.


2. Set a budget. We went from a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment to a four bedroom, two bathroom house. You can begin to imagine the extra space and walls we have for filling. Each month we set aside a certain amount of money we will use towards home renovations or décor.


3. Don’t limit your options. Shopping in person is always nice, but don’t forget about the amazing deals you might find online.


4. Check out the antique store. Unfortunately, we don’t have an antiques shop here in our small town, but I lived in Phoenix before I was married and I was able to find some of my most loved pieces of furniture while antiquing. Check out several in your town until you find your favorite place and don’t hesitate to ask your family and friends for their favorite shops.

Thank you for letting me share my unqualified opinion on home décor! If you have any fun tips on how you get inspiration for your home or perhaps you have some treasured shops you would like to share with us, go right ahead in the comments below. I know I (and the girls at OUO) would love to hear from you!