Sweet Chaos

Hi! I'm Carolyn, Queen of Chaos!  I love decorating with pretty things that are practical and can withstand the wear and tear of my 4 young sons and our big dog. I hope you'll join me as I strive to create a beautiful home amid the chaos.

Going to Germany

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via Independenttraveler.com
Guten Tag! (Good Day!) I'm trying to learn some basic German phrases, because next month I will be vacationing in beautiful Germany!!
I am so excited about this trip. I haven't been to Europe since before I had kids, and I have never been to Germany. I will be traveling with my brother and my 12 year old son. My...

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Kids' Bathroom Reveal

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The kids' bathroom makeover is officially complete. 



Today I switched out the brass door hardware with oil rubbed bronze knobs and hinges. I think it helps complete the vintage, cottage look I was trying to achieve.


The nasty shower faucet was replaced with a satin nickel one. This was a huge undertaking, requiring several trips to...

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Kids' Bathroom Update

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Since I've been away from my blog for awhile, I figure I owe it to you to at least return with a completed project! 

So here ya go...





The walls in the kids bathroom were planked, primed and painted.




The room is tiny, so I thought it would be a relatively quick process. Silly me. The planks had a lot of holes that had to be filled and...

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Mantel Makeover

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I don't mess with my mantel much.
I put a farmhouse print on the mantel 6 years ago, and I haven't taken it down since.
Oh sure, I added some pumpkins in the Fall (sometimes)...

and put up garland and stockings for Christmas...

but that was pretty much the extent of my mantel decorating.
(I think everyone who attended a Southern Living party...

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Home Goods Rugs

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It's no secret that I love shopping at Home Goods. It's like going on a little treasure hunt.
I dug up a chevron rug this week.

It adds a nice finishing touch to the guest bathroom.

These 100% cotton rugs come in lots of fun colors and patterns. This size was $14.99. They do need a rug pad underneath if you're using them on a hard surface. I...

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Paneled Walls in Progress

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A big thunderstorm is rolling in, so I'll keep this short and simple.
Just wanted to let you know that we decided to move forward with paneled walls in the kids' bathroom.

The guys were here installing it yesterday. They used Evertrue planks from Lowe's. We needed something real thin, because the baseboards are tile. We didn't want the...

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Something Old, Something New... and Something Blue

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Sometimes the very thing you're looking for is right under your nose. Take this ladder, for example.

I've had it leaning against my family room wall, draped with quilts, for ages. But, it looked like this...

It was a little bit country (like Marie Osmond) and too dark for my newly-painted and lightened up family room. So, it was banished to...

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God Bless America

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I just can't write about decorating today. Frankly, it just seems trivial in light of what took place yesterday in Boston. Any time there is an act of terrorism, I am shocked, saddened and angry.
My heart and prayers go out to all those who were injured or killed, to their families, to the first responders, to the witnesses, to all those...

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Beautiful Desert Home Tour

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In my last post, I promised to share pictures of Courtney's Arizona home.

Today I'm delivering on my promise.
Hold for a moment please.
Okay, thanks. I just had to pat myself on the back. You see, sometimes I promise to post about something and then veer off in another direction. Apparently, my decorating ADD carries over into my blogging....

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Carefree

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We are back from Carefree, Arizona, where we were truly carefree for several days.
Sedona
Our only concerns were whether we should go walking,
Carefree
climbing,
The Boulders
swimming,

hiking,

horseback riding,

or sightseeing.
Sedona
Sedona
We did a Pink Jeep tour in Sedona. It was one of the highlights of our trip. The views were amazing, and the...

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