3 Easy Ways to Make a House a Home (Urban Tickle Review & Giveaway!)
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By Beth Ricci, Contributing Writer
We’ve spent the entire eleven years of our marriage traipsing around the country (and even the globe). We started out in a tiny bachelor basement apartment, with a white bed sheet hanging from the ceiling to divide our “bedroom” from the “living room.” Since then we have lived in a grand total of nine different places – a smorgasbord of apartments and houses, big and little.
It can be really tough to make a boring old apartment or a rental house feel like home, but it can definitely be done. I have found three specific things to be my consistent go-to’s for capturing that homey feeling in a new place:
1. Paint
This is sometimes not allowed in a rental, but often landlords will let you if you ask. I’ve never lived in a place where we weren’t allowed to paint. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money to paint a house I didn’t own, but I’ve often chosen to paint maybe just one room, or an accent wall, in my favourite colour.
2. Decorative accents
I love my plants and thrifted collection of blue and green glass items that lives on my kitchen windowsill, and my various African accent pieces. I love my big teal Ikea wall clock, and my thrifted brass table lamps… all of which really make it feel like my home instead of a blank slate.
3. Art prints
While the first two are definitely things that I turn to, I admit that hanging stuff on my walls is my all-time favourite. I totally swoon over beautiful framed and arranged art, and Urban Tickle is an Etsy shop that knows where it’s at in that department.
They have a wide selection of adorable art prints and other items. They sent me the set of map prints that you see just above, and I absolutely adore them. They are beautifully designed, with a lovely mix of the practical (they are maps, after all) and the aesthetic, I found them a perfect home – front and centre – in the dining room.
Yup – they’re already hung up at my house for all of us to enjoy. And yes, the 5-year-old has already struck up a conversation about continents and geography. (Organic homeschooling for the win!)
What I noticed immediately when the prints arrived at my house was the words overlaying the map in an attractive and creative manner. They are designed so beautifully! I also love the warm and enticing colours that are beautifully contrasted.
When I was handling them to slip them into frames ($2.99 at IKEA for 8.5×11 frames. Gotta love it.) I noticed that the print quality is absolutely top-notch. They are obviously made to last, which is great as I foresee them having a long and happy future hanging out on my walls.
I saw many other favourites at the shop, including this adorable sun print. Perfect for a little one’s bedroom. I also love this transportation nursery art set of 3. So, SO cute.
How would you like to win a $100 gift card to Urban Tickle’s etsy shop?!
You can throw your hat in the ring for that by using the widget below. (Note: applies to paper art prints only.)
