• Home
  • Arcadia Neighborhood Home Tours
  • Entertaining
  • Home Decor
  • Michigan Cottage Tours
  • Tour Our Cottage Style Home
  • DIY
  • DIY Favorites
  • DIY Home Decor
  • Furniture Makeovers
  • Room Makeovers
  • Style
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Men’s Favorites
  • Lifestyle
  • Beauty + Grooming
  • Book Reviews
  • Cute Backgrounds & Wallpapers
  • Food
  • Holiday Favorites
  • Travel
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Shop our Favorites
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Love and Specs

  • Blog
  • Home
    • Home Decor
    • Entertaining
    • Tour Our Cottage Style Home
    • Arcadia Neighborhood Home Tours
    • Michigan Cottage Tours
  • DIY
    • DIY Home Decor
    • Furniture Makeovers
    • Room Makeovers
    • DIY Favorites
  • Style
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Men’s Favorites
  • Lifestyle
    • Book Reviews
    • Cute Backgrounds & Wallpapers
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Beauty + Grooming
    • Holiday Favorites
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Shop our Favorites

Holiday Favorites, Home, Home Decor, Lifestyle

Charming, Cottage Style Valentine’s Day Home Decor Ideas You’ll Love All Year Round

I’m sharing my annual roundup of all the charming, cottage style, pastel and heart-print Valentine’s Day-inspired home decor and gift ideas I’m loving and lusting that will brighten up your abode all year round!

Home, Home Decor

The Most Clicked Cottage Style Home Decor Items On Our Blog in 2020

Thanks to a lot of time snuggling up at home, we tackled a lot of house projects, put our home decor to the test and shared some fun new cottage style home decor finds we loved. So today we’re sharing the most-clicked decor items and fan favorites from right here on the blog in 2020!

Home, Home Decor, Tour Our Cottage Style Home

A 5-Month Review of Our Pottery Barn White Couch: The Townsend Reversible Storage Chaise Sectional in Performance Boucle Oatmeal

We’re giving you a thorough update about how we’re liking our white Pottery Barn couch, the Townsend Reverse Chaise Sectional in their Performance Boucle Oatmeal fabric and how it’s holding up after 6 months of daily use. We’re also talking about how we clean this white couch and how it held up in the face of some pretty scary stains. Come see our full review and hear all about how the white couch saga panned out!

Entertaining, Holiday Favorites, Home, Home Decor

Fun 4th of July Inspired Red White and Blue Decorations to Love This Year!

Summer is officially here, and that means we have our mind on one of our favorite, festive holidays of the year that just so happens to be just a week and a half away – 4th of July! Our Independence Day celebrations may look a little bit more intimate this year, but that didn’t stop us from rounding up all of our favorite red, white and blue 4th of July inspired decorations from around the web that are perfect for small celebrations and general summer fun of all kinds, even if it’s just a backyard BBQ for two!

Home, Home Decor

Cheap & Affordable Cottage Style Wall Sconces That Instantly Upgrade Any Space

Sconces are just so much fun, aren’t they? After spending so much time at home as of late, we’ve been focusing on easy and affordable ways to upgrade the spaces around our home, and I can’t think of a more approachable way to upgrade a room than to swap out or add fun lighting, specifically a wall sconce or two! So today I’m rounding up all of my favorite cheap, super stylish, cottage-perfect sconces from around the web for every single space inside and outside your home. Come see all of the wall sconce styles to love!

Home, Home Decor

My Favorite Cottage Style Backyard Patio Decor for Summer + Memorial Day Sales Galore!

This summer may look slightly different than the last, but there’s one activity that will remain unchanged in our household and that’s a good backyard hang sesh! Whether it’s lounging […]

Home, Home Decor

My Favorite Cottage Style Summer Entertaining Ideas & Decor + Memorial Day Sales Galore

I feel like the name of the game when it comes to cottage style decor in the summer is outdoor entertaining. Am I right? When I think of the cottage […]

Home, Home Decor

Sunny Cottage Style Summer Decor Ideas to Love

Those summer scenes we daydream about during the winter months may look a little bit different this year, but the arrival of the punchy, peppy summer decor I love so much is giving me seriously happy summer feels from behind my keyboard! I’m sharing tons of my favorite cottage style summer decor finds and ideas from around the web in hopes that it might inspire some fun summer decor daydreams of your own or just inject a little summer sunshine into your day!

Beauty + Grooming, Holiday Favorites, Home, Home Decor, Lifestyle

14 Game-Changing Products I’ve Fallen in Love With at Home That Make Genius Mother’s Day Gift Ideas!

After hunkering down at home over the last month and a half or so, I’ve made some revelations, friends. Home revelations, garment revelations, cleaning revelations, life revelations & it’s made what’s essential, what’s useful, what works and what just downright makes our lives at home easier and more comfortable so much more clear, so I thought it would be really fun to take a different approach to Mother’s Day gifting & use what I’ve discovered to guide my Mother’s Day gift ideas! Gone are the tchotchkes of old & in are the unique things that make mom’s life easier or better in some meaningful or useful way! I’m going into detail about why each product has been such a game-changer in my life at home over the last month or so in hopes that something in there speaks to the mom in your life or… even just to you. Because treating yourself is always appropriate.

Home, Home Decor

Our Favorite Affordable Flush Mount & Semi Flush Mount Lights for Small Spaces

Today we’re talking about lighting, and not just any lighting! Specifically, the lighting category that was made for cute, cozy homes with small spaces, low ceilings and hallways galore – flush mount and semi flush mount ceiling lights! We’re sharing the new, super cool flush mount lights we installed in our office, what we learned in our hunt for the perfect flush mount and all of the affordable flush mount and semi flush mount lights we found and loved along the way!

Home, Home Decor, Tour Our Cottage Style Home

Finding The Perfect Durable White Sectional Couch For Our Living Room: Everything You Need to Know if You Want a White Couch

We’re sharing all about our hunt for the perfect white couch for our living room, all about the things we learned along the way where white couches and sectionals are concerned, what we found at IKEA on the white couch front, and all of the things we considered when we finally chose “the one”! Come see the new, comfy-cozy white sectional we’re absolutely in love with and get all of your white couch questions answered!

Home, Home Decor

Cottage Style Spring Home Decor to Love: Floral Prints, Pastels & Woven Accents Galore!

The spring season is my favorite time of year to refresh and stock up on home decor and that’s definitely because the home decor that hits the shelves (and the web) during this magical time of year definitely speaks to a cottage style lover like myself, with tons of pretty florals, pastels, fresh greenery and woven accents in abundance! Spring has pretty much arrived here in Phoenix, but just in case you’re stuck in colder climates we’re here to lift your spirits by rounding up some fun and awesomely affordable spring-inspired cottage decor finds, so you can inject some spring sunshine into your home no matter what the weather looks like outside your window and save some pennies, too!

Next Page »

meet maryal and chris

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

sign up for our newsletter

Popular Posts

Jan
07
Cute Backgrounds & Wallpapers, Holiday Favorites, Lifestyle
Cute, Free Valentine’s Day Phone Wallpapers & Desktop Backgrounds for a Season of Love!
Nov
05
DIY, Home, Room Makeovers, Tour Our Cottage Style Home
DIY Laundry Room Makeover With Design Ideas, Decor & Painted Cabinets
May
14
Arcadia Neighborhood Home Tours, Home
Unique Home Design (And Cute Corners) in Arcadia, Phoenix, Arizona: Round 3
Feb
26
Book Reviews, Lifestyle
The Virgin River Series Review: A Review of the 20-Book Series That Inspired the Netflix Show
  • Home
  • DIY
  • Style
  • Lifestyle
  • Shop our Favorites
Maryal Miller Carter

loveandspecs

Link to display lightbox
Instagram post 18092369944221655 Just when I think my love of pink is of the casual variety, I start looking through old photos & realize that I spent most of summer 2020 finding & snapping pretty pink houses in Northern Michigan 🤣 No wonder I love this time of year so much - it’s a pinksplosion! If you missed all 3 of the Northern Michigan Cottage tours on the blog last summer/fall, you can see all of the pink prettiness & a ton of other amazing color combos at the link in my bio if you just go to the category “Home” & then “Michigan Cottage Tours” in the drop down menu. So many inspiring, charming homes to get lost in! The first image here in the carousel is of one of my very favorite historic Victorian homes in Petoskey, MI - you can admire it right from the main drag that drives through & out of Petoskey & the details always leave me drooling!
Link to display lightbox
Instagram post 18116494060171676 Citrus season & the lead up to Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite times of year to be a Phoenician. 🍊 It’s starting to get pretty dreamy around here right now & I feel like I reeeally needed this. I was startin’ to lose it a little bit I think being so cooped up inside. 😬 You guys know I’m a serious sucker for all things V-Day & especially love all of the pretty pastel, romantic, happy home decor that hits shelves right now, so if that speaks straight to your design feels head on over to the link in my bio because I shared my annual roundup of ALL the V-Day inspired decor I’m loving this year that would be awesome additions to your abode all year round. And bonus, they’re perfect for gifting, too! 💗
Link to display lightbox
Instagram post 18051844207273408 I’m pretty much of freaking out with excitement about what went up on the blog today. Like jumping up and down, doing a happy dance level excitement! Ever since I connected with the amazing @rhianawni , the incredibly talented artist we collaborate with for all of our seasonal phone wallpapers and backgrounds, I’ve been dying to create wallpapers for my very favorite holiday – Valentine’s Day! I have a totally unapologetic, long-standing love affair with the most Hallmarky of Hallmark holidays, and I think a huge part of that is due to the fact that it’s my favorite time of year on the design and decor front. The abundance of pink, purple, hearts and flowers everywhere is pure heaven in my eyes! Which is why when Rhian told me that she created a brand new set of Valentine’s Day watercolor illustrations last year that I could use to create new free V-Day phone wallpapers & desktop backgrounds for you guys, I was beyond pumped to get to work and bring these to life. And sure, these designs are totally V-Day inspired, but love is kind of in fashion all year round, right? So head to the link in my bio, download & share them all & just switch ‘em up as you please all year long! 💗💗💗
Link to display lightbox
Instagram post 17969494159361040 Oh hey, 2021! Couldn’t be happier to see you. 😭 I think last year we hit what can only be called “peak house projecting” and because of that, a lot changed in this little abode of ours for the better... and the cozier. And it seems like you guys were in the same boat because our room makeover and cottage home decor roundups were definitely our most clicked posts last year. So today on the blog I rounded up our 19 most clicked home decor finds that we shared on the blog in 2020, which included our favorite affordable headboard of all time, which also happens to be back in stock for the moment! We loved this woven headboard so much after living with it that we bought a 2nd one for our guest bedroom & love it just as much in there, too! Head over to the link in my bio to see all of the decor finds you guys loved most in 2020 to keep the home improvement action rollin’ right into 2021! 🏡
Link to display lightbox
Instagram post 17888240794872003 #ad Holiday GIVEAWAY alert! In celebration of the holiday season & my excitement that my neighborhood @walmart here in Phoenix now carries wine, beer AND spirits of all kinds, we’re giving away a $50 Walmart gift card to one lucky winner so you can stock up on all your holiday goodies this season, in one convenient stop. How fun is that?! 

TO ENTER: Just leave a comment here on this post and tell me your favorite holiday cocktail! 

Must be 21 years of age or older to participate. Walmart reminds you to drink responsibly. This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram.
Link to display lightbox
Instagram post 17909468959577036 Oh man you guys I feel like a new woman after yesterday! I’ve been feeling pretty cooped up lately and in desperate need of some fresh air and a little winter snow action to get the blood pumping, so that cute hubs of mine totally saved the day (and my sanity) yesterday and took me up north to the Mogollon Rim to explore the frozen lakes and watch the sunset at the rim! It was the most incredible sunset & walking around in the crisp, cool air, ice and snow was just what the doctor ordered. C calls my favorite @llbean Bean Boots my “rompin’ around” boots and it’s totally true! I love a good, solid waterproof boot with traction so I can stay outside for hours on end exploring & not worry about my feet getting cold and wet, and these have been a winter staple for me for years. It helps that they’re good lookin’, too. ☺️ And this quilted quarter-zip pullover is the winter layering piece of my dreams… I’ve already ordered in 3 different colors because the fit, weight and softness is pure heaven. I linked the boots and the pullover in my Stories & if you’re still in need of holiday gifts, order tonight by midnight to get our order before Christmas! 🎁 I may not get to head home to Michigan for our annual Christmas winter wonderland week, but yesterday was just the taste I needed to get me in the spirit! ❄️ #BeAnOutsider #LLBeanPartner

Copyright © 2021 · Love and Specs · Site by Ready to Blog Designs

Copyright © 2021 · Love and Specs on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in