Blog – Page 2 of 8 – Hello Hayley

Customized Christmas Gift Ideas I’d Actually Get My Husband

November 3, 2018 No Comments

There are lots of things I’ve learned over the years, like, it’s called a “rear view mirror,” not a “review mirror.” Or that kids can “open enroll” to another school, not, “open and roll.” But one thing I’ll never manage to learn is how to easily find the perfect Christmas gift for my husband.

When a holiday rolls around, I think about his gift for months ahead of time because I want it to be meaningful. The past few years I’ve opted for a gift that’s personalized or custom in nature – like, with our last name, or something I handmade myself. Not gonna lie, it’s usually a lot of work.

*Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you choose to buy an item after clicking a link, I may receive a small commission from the purchase at no extra cost to you. This helps me keep this blog up and running. Thank you!*

So, this year, I’ve put together an Etsy round-up of some unique, customized Christmas gift ideas for your husband. Whether he likes more practical gifts or something kinda sweet, I’m sure you’ll find something he likes, something he can use, and something you’ll feel proud of giving him!

PS – Lots of customized gift ideas here for your dad or brother, too! #winwin

Practical & Customized Christmas Gift Ideas

Engraved Cord Organizer
$8.69+

Personalized Metal
Luggage Tag (Set of 2)
$16.95

Adventure Fund
Money Box
$42.00

Wood-Engraved
Cutting Board
$21.50+

Personalized Beer
Can Opener
$8.99

Handwritten
Leather Wallet
$38.50+

Custom Engraved Hammer
$19.99+

Funny T-Shirt for
Balding Husband
$23.95+
Not customized but still hilarious.

Custom Engraved
Golf Ball Marker
$24.30

Thoughtful + Kinda Romantic Christmas Gift Ideas

Tiny Box of 48
Date Night Ideas
$18.50

Custom Engraved Couples Bracelets
$19.70

2-States Matching Keychains
$27.99

Super Sweet Wall Art Christmas Gift Ideas

Custom Couples
Portrait
$40.00

Custom City Map
Wall Art
$8.73+

Sky Art of a
Special Place + Date
$29.99

BBQ Timer
Wood Sign
$49.00
Not customized but still hilarious.

BRB, going to order one of everything. LOL, but in all seriousness, I hope this list of customized Christmas gift ideas helps you start thinking about what to get the men in your life for Christmas. Best of luck this year! May the odds be ever in your favor!

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Home + DIY

What I Wish I Knew Before Installing Butcher Block Countertop

October 31, 2018 1 Comment

Hey there, friends! I’m all sorts of excited today because, 1) this fall AZ weather is giving me all the feels, and 2) I get to talk more about our kitchen renovation! I’m still coming down from the newly-finished-home-renovation high, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to dive a little deeper into our butcher block island.

It is BEAUTIFUL and it adds a dimension of warmth to our kitchen, but it requires more upkeep than I expected. I honestly feel a bit hoodwinked by all the pretty pictures I’ve seen on Pinterest – LOL. With that in mind, I want to share some of my knowledge on all things butcher block to help you decide if it’s the right choice for your kitchen. Without further adieu, let’s dooo ittttt.

Home + DIY

15 Farmhouse Inspired Shelving Ideas

October 24, 2018 No Comments

If you’ve followed along with my bathroom renovations, you’ll know that I’m a sucker for shelving… especially farmhouse-inspired floating shelves! I love utilizing wall space with pieces that are functional and provide a little organization to my sometimes-chaotic space. For example, I’m still obsessed with this floating shelf (link below!) from our guest bathroom makeover.

*Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you choose to buy an item after clicking a link, I may receive a small commission from the purchase at no extra cost to you. This helps me keep this blog up and running. Thank you!*

Because of my obsession with farmhouse shelving, I’ve put together a list of my 15 favorite farmhouse-inspired, Fixer Upper-approved shelving units! Seriously, how cute is that diamond bookshelf?! NEED.

PS – If you need help installing floating shelves, check out my Pinterest-viral tutorial here.

Farmhouse Shelving

Industrial Floating Wood Shelving (36″)
$125+
Amazon

Handmade Diamond Bookshelf
$114
Etsy

Thick Floating Shelves in Various Sizes
$24+
Etsy

Basket Towel Rod Bathroom Organizer
$24+
Etsy

Ceiling Hung Industrial Floating Shelves
$79
Amazon

2 -Tier Floating Farmhouse Bookshelf
$39.99
Amazon

Set of 3 Rustic Floating Shelves
$24+
Amazon

Set of 4 Hexagonal Floating Shelves
$170+
Etsy

Set of 2, 24″ Floating Shadow Box Shelves
$51.50
Amazon

Essential Oil Mini Shelf with Reclaimed Wood
$90
Etsy

Wall Bar with Fold
Down Shelf
$139
Etsy

Set of 2, Rustic Floating Shelves
$17.99
Amazon

Farmhouse Bookshelves

Rustic Corner Farmhouse Bookshelf
$175
Etsy

4-Tier Vintage Industrial Book Shelf
$169.99
Amazon

Natural Wood Farmhouse Bookshelf
$239
Etsy

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Before + After, Home + DIY

A Kitchen Renovation for the Books

October 17, 2018 2 Comments

7 months in the making and the day is finally here. Our kitchen renovation is D-O-N-E! I am doing a big ol’ happy dance… partially because I’m excited about the renovation, but also because I no longer have to cook in a half-finished kitchen. LOL.

Let’s get started by taking a step back in time…

Kitchen at Move-in

I remember thinking how uuugly this kitchen was when we moved in (I mean, compared to my dream kitchen – LOL). The cabinets had an outdated wood finish and everything was a blah-colored tan. The laminate countertops felt cheap and the black appliances were… dirty. Barf.

Fall & Thanksgiving, Home + DIY

A Quick and Easy Pumpkin Carving Hack

October 4, 2018 No Comments

This post was originally published in October 2016 and was updated in October 2018.

To kick off October, Andrew and I had a little fun pumpkin carving! And in not-so traditional fashion… using our new power drill! To make it even more fun, we live streamed it on Facebook. It got a little messy and we ran into a few bumps, but no surprises there! 😆

Tools (this list contains affiliate links, which help me keep this blog up and running – more on that here):

Pumpkin(s)
Serrated knife
Power drill (I LOVE our Ryobi!)
Drill bits of your selected size
Newspapers
Buckets for pumpkin guts

Fall & Thanksgiving, Home + DIY

DIY Fall Tablescape and Decor

September 28, 2018 2 Comments

The air is crisp… PSL’s are a-plenty… the leaves are getting crunchy… Oh, wait, I live in Arizona where it’s still hot and desert, but that doesn’t keep me from PSL-ing throughout the week! In the spirit of fall, I finally got around to pulling my fall decor out of the garage (but not before inspecting each box with a blacklight to make sure no scorpions were lurking around. Blegh!). I strapped Griffin to my back and got the job done. And boy, I’m glad I did!

Before + After, Home + DIY

Guest Bathroom Makeover – Before & After!

September 11, 2018 67 Comments

This post was originally published in February 2017 and was updated September 2018.

Well, hello, friends! You’ve caught me on a great day because it’s time for ANOTHER bathroom makeover reveal!!! This time, it’s a guest bathroom makeover. As ou might recall, we’ve already completed our master bathroom makeover as well as our upstairs bathroom renovation. You can say we’re experts by now, ha! They’re all pretty, and so is this one. Let me tell you, you’re in for a treat!

Like our master bath, this guest bathroom was a big blob of tan.

Thankfully, this tan blob was short-lived. With a lot of love, caulk, and elbow grease, this bathroom tRaNsFoRmEd!!!

Guest Bathroom Before

Guest Bathroom After

Scroll to the bottom to shop the room.

Did you hear that? I think those were angels singing all the way from heaven.

Home + DIY

DIY Wall Calendar with Barn Wood + FREE PRINTABLE!

August 9, 2018 2 Comments

Hiya, friends! You may have seen this fun project on Instagram last week – a DIY wall calendar made with a piece of rustic barn wood! It fits in perfectly with my decluttering + organizing binge, as I’ve been working hard lately to try to get our lives in order by preparing for upcoming events. What better way to do that than with a HUGE wall calendar?! Plus, I had the perfect spot for a little command center. I’m excited to share the full tutorial today along with FREE printables for August – December 2018!

I found inspiration for this wall calendar from Houseful of Handmade and LOVED the idea to use a piece of wood along the top. I assembled my calendar a bit differently and shared the process on Instagram – you can see it all on a highlight in my profile! Let’s get started!

Decluttering + Organization

“Just in Case” Clothes – Do You Keep ‘Em?

August 7, 2018 No Comments

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a hardcore decluttering binge (like here). It’s liberating to live with less stuff, but it’s also forced me to take a closer look at this season of life and stop focusing on a past season!

On Instagram, I’m frequently asked, “What about the clothes I have just in case I need them in the future?”

It’s a great question and one that I’ve struggled with for a while.

Throughout high school and college, I was involved in a lot of different activities and clubs that required something specific: khaki pants, a long-sleeved black shirt, black shoes… the list goes on! Even over the past few years I’ve bought a special dress for swing dancing or a themed annual event. It was a hassle when I didn’t have the exact thing I thought I needed, so I started holding on to a bunch of clothing just in case I needed it again in the future.

This has resulted in an accumulation of clothes I’m keeping “just in case” I need them in the future. One of my favorite Instagram accounts, @thelaminmalist, says that we keep these items of clothing out of fear, not necessity. It might be fear that we won’t “fit in” with the crowd, fear of being unprepared, or simply the fear of letting go.

Decluttering + Organization

8 Tips to Declutter a Closet & Keep it Organized

August 1, 2018 No Comments

Let’s get real: If you walked into your bathroom and opened your cabinets or closet, would it bring you peace? Like, can you easily find what you need without knocking over 8 things? Or does it stress you out? You guys… the average American spends 2.5 DAYS PER YEAR looking for misplaced items (source). Why do we do this to ourselves?! It makes me sad because it only takes an afternoon and a few Dollar Store bins to declutter a closet.

When we moved into our house 2 years ago, I scrambled to hide things away so we could get settled. Well, now that everything is “put away,” I’m spending time organizing and decluttering the stuff I haphazardly stashed away (like my master closet!). My first project was to declutter a closet in our bathroom, ‘cuz guys, it was a hot. mess. I hated looking for things in there. It stressed me out hard. It was basically a Where’s Waldo? puzzle.

A Kitchen Renovation for the Books

Guest Bathroom Makeover – Before & After!

DIY + 2 Weekends = Guest Bedroom Makeover

How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets White

Customized Christmas Gift Ideas I’d Actually Get My Husband

Practical & Customized Christmas Gift Ideas

Thoughtful + Kinda Romantic Christmas Gift Ideas

Super Sweet Wall Art Christmas Gift Ideas

Pin it for later!

What I Wish I Knew Before Installing Butcher Block Countertop

15 Farmhouse Inspired Shelving Ideas

Farmhouse Shelving

Farmhouse Bookshelves

Pin it for later!

A Kitchen Renovation for the Books

Kitchen at Move-in

A Quick and Easy Pumpkin Carving Hack

Tools (this list contains affiliate links, which help me keep this blog up and running – more on that here):

DIY Fall Tablescape and Decor

Guest Bathroom Makeover – Before & After!

Guest Bathroom Before

Guest Bathroom After

DIY Wall Calendar with Barn Wood + FREE PRINTABLE!

“Just in Case” Clothes – Do You Keep ‘Em?

On Instagram, I’m frequently asked, “What about the clothes I have just in case I need them in the future?”

8 Tips to Declutter a Closet & Keep it Organized