bailey bee

beauty, home and lifestyle blog

HOW TO REDECORATE YOUR HOME ON A LOW BUDGET (OR NO BUDGET AT ALL!)

Okay honestly, I’m sure there are a few of you who wonder how I can afford to buy furniture and decor for my home(s) at my current age– and current unemployment status (help). The truth is, my investments in my home have taken place over time. Since college, I have spent the majority of my disposable income on my apartment(s) because it’s what truly brings me joy (*ahem* Marie Kondo) and is what I’m passionate about. I’m not a huge drinker, I rarely eat out and really don’t buy clothes all that often. Once you accumulate some pieces it becomes easier to slowly grow your belongings because you now have capital to work with.

I have developed a bit of a strategy over the years on how to hustle my way to a styled home. I wanted to share some of my top tricks with you all today. To start…

1. Never buy full-priced

My reasoning for this is that if you always wait for a markdown on an item, you can sell back when you redecorate down the road for the same price you purchased it. This will appear like you are offering a deal to buyers when in reality you are simply recouping your funds. If you ever need to lower the price of an item if it isn’t selling quickly, this strategy helps cut your losses as well.

Speaking of reselling–

2. Utilize Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and other reselling avenues

Every time I want to replace something in my home, I make myself sell the item before purchasing the replacement and I use the money from that sale to purchase the said replacement. Something that has helped me with resale is the fact that I don’t mind putting furniture together. To many, it is a plus that they are able to buy something pre-assembled. Another thing that has helped with resale? The fact that I don’t purchase anything full-priced so I’m always naturally providing a deal as already explained.

To date, I’ve sold about 50-60 things between Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. It’s almost entirely how I fund my redesigns. Make sure to keep the money from your sales separate from your “normal” money so you can keep track of how much you have to buy new things with so you never spend any extra or unexpected money out of pocket.

I do feel obligated to remind you all to always be safe when selling. I used to give buyers the address of a condo building a couple down from mine near the road so nobody knew my exact address. People always appreciated this because they didn’t have to expose themselves to a stranger’s home and it made it easier for them to load things into their cars. Be wary of selling after dark and make sure someone is aware that you’re meeting up so they can expect you back within a certain timeframe to ensure your safety.

3. Be resourceful

I currently have a scheme going on eBay that involves me selling a “coupon” to a well-known retailer that does not typically deliver coupons or discounts to their store other than through their referral program. People are just buying my referral, which gives them a certain percentage off of their first order at this retailer. I don’t pretend to be anything I’m not and I think people are simply unaware of the referral program and are looking to get whatever deal they can find. My “coupon” is listed for $0.99 on eBay (the lowest you can list an item) but I’d give them away for free if I could! Each time someone buys something with my referral, I get $20 to the retailer. I’ve made $350 since September doing this and it’s allowed me to buy small knick knacks and decor pieces that I wouldn’t have otherwise spent my money on.

4. Plan ahead (or expect to be patient)

You have two options when it comes to redecorating an entire space on a limited budget. You can either plan ahead, prepare your purchases and accumulate slowly or wait until it is time to redecorate and have to purchase everything all at once while still being held down with the old items you aren’t into anymore. Additionally, sometimes good deals take time. For example, Wayfair’s pricing always fluctuates so when I find a piece that I want to buy, I bookmark it and watch it for a few weeks.

A great example of this strat is my media console in my living room— I originally bookmarked it at one price and a few weeks later it dropped significantly, then rose again to the original price and then rose to an even higher price. I freaked out a bit and found that on AllModern (another Wayfair company), the console was selling for the original price so I took the plunge. I was okay with this decision because I felt like I had educated myself on the selling value of the piece.

After purchasing, don’t forget to follow up because companies like Wayfair have adjustment periods where they will honor any price drops within a certain timeframe of delivery. The price of my console dipped again within a week of me receiving it and I was able to get a price adjustment after I had already purchased and assembled it.

Another example of planning ahead paying off was my other media console that I have in our bedroom. I wanted the IKEA Stockholm buffet for our new place and after weeks of thinking about it, I ALMOST went to go buy it full-priced at IKEA against all of my better judgment. Not sure why I didn’t go when I had planned to but I’m so glad I didn’t because the following day I got a Craigslist alert in my email that someone IN MY TOWN was selling the exact piece. Me and Charlie rounded up and we rolled out the next day to go get it. We nabbed it for almost half off AND didn’t even have to assemble it. Patience is valuable!

5. Always try to upgrade (never downgrade)

If your goal is to work your way up to pieces in your home that you plan to keep around for awhile, then you should always keep in mind: upgrade always, downgrade never. I implement this by buying pieces that I know are of better quality than the item I sold them for and if I have to, putting a tiny bit of money into the piece out of pocket so the investment slowly grows over time.

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I know a few of you have reached out asking for assistance designing and decorating your spaces. I would LOVE to help you determine your style and handpick pieces for your home. Please email me at hello@baileybeeblog.com if you’re interested or check out my e-Design page for rates plus before and afters!

HOW TO DRILL HOLES IN POTS (HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN DRAINAGE HOLES)

Hi there!

I’m here to write a post that I wish had been on the Internet this time, last year. 2018 was surely the year of the houseplant and I fell deeply victim to the trend. The one thing I kept having trouble with? Finding cute pots WITH drainage holes. Don’t let anybody fool you– no amount of rocks on the bottom of a pot will create as good of drainage as an actual drainage hole. If you’re serious about your plants, you won’t mess around with rocks. What you will do is..

buy a diamond drill bit.

Yep. You’re gonna need a drill if you want to have botanical fun this year! This revelation pushed me to buy a drill that I already was in dire need for because of the amount of furniture I assemble and DIY projects I take on. If you don’t have a drill, you’ll eventually need one as time goes on so just consider this an investment into adulthood.

As I was trying to navigate the world of drainage, I kept seeing blips of advice from random plant websites and blogs talking about the need for a masonry drill bit. These bits are blunt and dull and truly take AGES to get through well-constructed pots, if ever. There is a much higher risk of cracking your planter using one of these as well given the amount of pressure necessary to get a hole going.

Diamond bits are like slicing cheese with a razor compared to masonry bits.

Let’s go step-by-step…

Screenshots are from a previous Instagram story so don’t mind my green, semi-unappealing text

1. Attach the bit to your drill.
You can get a variety of different sized bits but I went with a smaller one (1/4″) because of cost. It would be better for you to buy a bigger one for this purpose because what I usually ended having to do was drill multiple holes in pots to ensure proper drainage– you’ll see below. If you were curious, this is the drill that I own. This is the drill bit.

2. Prepare your pot
I usually drilled my holes within my kitchen sink so I could continually have cool water running on my workspace. Just like cutting tile, you need to keep the area you are drilling into constantly cool to protect your pot from cracking. The friction of this drill bit on the pottery makes the spot very, very, VERY hot without running water atop it.

This planter I was working on is the Wood Base Planter from West Elm. West Elm looooOoves to put drainage “wells” in the bottom of their pots in lieu of drainage holes but again, don’t fall for it. That is not going to work. In 2019 I’ve already seen stores such as Target really embracing the plant pot as a trend and the majority of theirs are cheaper than the stores/outlets that used to sell pots before they were trendy AND typically have drainage holes already. Thank goodness.

3. Begin drilling
You must begin drilling at a 90° angle which, given the nature of this project, is sometimes difficult. Try your best. What you’re needing to do is get the rough side of the drill bit to get past a glazed exterior and begin to actually work itself into the pot. Once you have a decent enough depth in, you can turn the drill upwards and begin drilling normally. You are creating a ring shape that will eventually make its way through the pot and out the bottom, creating a perfect hole.
You can only drill normally as deep as your initial 90° angle depth. Once you’ve hit your max, angle the drill again and keep digging down. Some pots/planters are super thick and will take some time to get through. Some are thinner or softer (like terracotta) and won’t take much time at all. PLEASE be gentle! Thinner or softer materials can crack if you apply too much pressure. Just keep at it and take your time while letting the drill do the hard work for you.

4. All done!
You may want to add a few more if you’re working on a larger pot like I was. You do this the same way you did the initial hole– just be aware that the base is slightly compromised with a hole in it now and could become more fragile during subsequent hole drills.

Like I mentioned previously, I sometimes add extra holes to assist in drainage so there isn’t a ton of water sitting in the bottom of my pot waiting in queue to drain. I only want my plant getting the absolute exact amount of water that it needs.

That is pretty much it! I hope this helps some people because I know for sure it would have helped me. Just remember– diamond bit > masonry bit. No matter what people say!

If you have any questions at all, leave me a comment below. Or if you just want to share your plant parent success stories I am ALL ears! I love seeing people’s indoor (or outdoor, really) jungles.

If you want to shop this post, I’ve listed any items I mentioned today below (for pot and ones similar to it) or within this post as links (for drill, drill bit):

15 CUTE POTS + PLANTERS FOR SPRING 2019

2018 was the year of the houseplant. I got deep into the trend and I know so many of you did as well. It seemed the mass market stores weren’t aware of the trend or at least couldn’t keep up with demand if they were because the problem I continued to have throughout the year was finding cute pots and planters from regular stores. Thankfully, 2019 is starting off on a good foot in that regard because they are much easier to find now and we’re only half a month into the new year. I have compiled a list of my favorite pots, planters and plant stands on the market right now. Some of these I currently own, have owned in the past (but got rid of when I moved and downsized my plant fam), have seen in-store or just know to be of good quality from my research.
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If you’re worried about drainage holes, fret not. I have a post about adding holes to ANY pot you get, even ones without any drainage to begin with. Go read that before you go out to buy rocks for the bottoms of your pots 🙂
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1. World Market Sevilla Planters (three colors, two sizes)
2. Target Project 62 Ceramic Planter with Metal Stand White/Black (three sizes)
3. Target Project 62 Stoneware Planter with Stand Orange/Gold (two sizes)
4. World Market Dark Turquoise Ceramic Planter with Wood Stand
5. Target Threshold White Planter (smaller size)
6. Target Project 62 Stoneware Floor Planter with Wood Stand White/Brown
7. CB2 Lupa Planters (two sizes)
8. Urban Outfitters Bistro 12″ Rattan Planter + Stand
9. Target Project 62 Ceramic Planter with Stand White/Black (three sizes)
10. Target Project 62 Hexagon Stoneware Planter Terracotta (three sizes)
11. Urban Outfitters Parker 6″ Planter + Drainage Tray Sets (also comes in 4″ and 10″)
12. West Elm Half Dipped Planters (two sizes)
13. Target Smith & Hawken Plant Stand Black & Wood
14. Serena and Lily Dip Dyed Stools (two sizes, three colors)
15. Target Project 62 Terrazzo Plant Table

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I hope you all enjoy these decently affordable pots, planters and plant stands. I’m probably going to be buying a couple for myself soon in preparation for spring. To make shopping a bit easier, I’ve added most of these planters to the widget below for you:

CURRENT BEDROOM

Hi hi hiiii good day everyone!!
 
I’m back with ONE MORE home post before we make the big move to N.C. and this post is showcasing our bedroom! It’s the darkest room in the house (strange, because there are two windows) so the photos aren’t the prettiest but I tried my best to make it look good for ya.
 
Framed art is super high, I know. It was hung based off an old piece I had before my storage console.
 
First up is our bed. That beautiful headboard is from Pier 1 Imports. I’ve had my eye on headboards like this for a long time but getting a custom one is hella expensive and making my own seemed super tedious (because I didn’t want to have to attach to or lean against my wall). I was so beyond excited when I found this one online and ON SALE! It’s typically always on sale I’ve noticed so if you want it and it’s not right now, give it a few days.
 
The bed is piled with a bunch of bed pillows and some throw ones. The pink one is an old design from Target and the winky face is one of Urban Outfitters’ signature products. It’s not the highest quality but definitely makes a statement. Under those is my duvet from West Elm. The story behind this duvet is slightly interesting– once I finally agreed with Charlie on letting go of the one I have had in my family for YEARS and really liked– it matched those brownish bed pillows– I found myself shopping around and was at a total loss for what I wanted in a duvet cover aesthetically. I thought to head over to my ‘Bedroom’ Pinterest board and I realized that one of my favorite photos on that board starred a duvet I already had IN MY SHOPPING CART from West Elm. Suddenly everything made sense. and I bought it and I love it.
 
Hugging the bed are two side tables from Target. These are a steal IMO and the quality is top notch. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a cute side table/night stand/accent table. The lamps are also from Target; I bought the grey lampshade on sale years ago and held onto it through numerous moves without even utilizing it on a base because I fell in love with the soft dove grey color. Unfortunately, I only had one so when the time came for both Charlie and myself to have bedside lamps, I was forced to look for another match. Better yet, I found a similar-yet-different match. Same lamp shade, same reflective gold lining, just in black. Voila! A quirky lamp combo. I threw them on matching brass lamp bases and have been happy with the combo ever since.
 
Above the bed is a custom piece from RadicalSouls Collective on Etsy. It’s a huge item but brings a level of whimsy to the room that I enjoy. I loved working with Danielle from RadicalSouls because she let me customize to anything my heart desired from the wooden beads on top of the tassels to choosing the right piece of driftwood to mirror the design’s shape that I had envisioned. She NAILED it. Here’s another photo of it from her Instagram account:
 
 
 
This is my side of the bed. This storage console is from Target and I utilize it as a vanity-type station. Atop it are my go-to skincare picks (I posted about them in October. Check it out!), makeup brush carousel and my Simple Human mirror. It’s a hefty buy at $199 but if purchased at Bed, Bath and Beyond you can apply a 20% off coupon on it. It simulates natural daylight– which comes in handy over the winter when I’m getting home from work and it’s almost dark out.
 
Feel free to shop this post below! I included some items that were in the photos but did not touch on in case you were curious:
 

CURRENT LIVING AREA

So… the news has broke.

We are MOVING!

After 25 years of life in the state of Virginia (well.. minus my first few as an infant), me and Charlie are MOVING to RALEIGH, North Carolina!!!!! We are soooooo excited for this change of pace in lifestyle and in our careers and I’m really really excited to be near my family– including my four nieces and nephews– again.

With that big news coming up at the end of the calendar year, I’ve decided I need to document my perfect “tiny cube” before we disassemble and move. Today I’m sharing with you our living room.

That Arnold poster is my fiancé’s and it used to hang at the right height for our old couch but now is too high for our current couch.. oh well.

This room has been subject to many changes over the past few years including two couches, two coffee tables, two book shelves and three rugs but all at differing times. I wish I had kept my old 8×10 ivory rug by Safavieh instead of this speckled IKEA rug but ivory in a high traffic area for two years with a dog? It wasn’t looking very nice.

The couch that is shown is the IKEA Karlstad with a custom cover from Comfort Works (the grey herringbone pattern). I got the couch off Craigslist for $60 and the cover was $364 which, although high, did make financial sense in the end. The couch itself is starting to break a bit and I think when we move we’ll need to find another to buy on Craigslist and I honestly just can’t wait for the point in our lives where we can be comfortable dropping a couple thousand on a truly HIGH quality, long-living sofa.

I bought the coffee table off of Facebook Marketplace and had my big brother pick it up on a weekday and hold it for me until the weekend. It’s “solid wood” but feels kind of cheap and I feel like I got played a bit but what drew me to it were the cool legs! If all fails with the tabletop I can always buy some higher quality wood to attach those legs to. I learned while researching DIY desks that iron legs are EXPENSIVE to buy on their own! Especially unique ones like these.

That adorable mid century side table is from Target. I bought it the first time I went “adult shopping” after moving into my first place after college and getting my first full time job.

Oh, and that bench? HomeGoods. I saw it and called my mom as I ran over to it to sit on it (to claim it.. duh) and asked her “hey, do I NEED a bench? Okay but.. could I find a reason to NEED this bench?” and we both decided that yes, I did and yes, I could. I’ve had it since and it’s the ideal piece to have near our front door as we store our common shoes underneath it and use to take our shoes on and off.

Above is my painstankingly curated bookcase. I plan to use these photos when we move to copy + paste this exact same layout on this bookcase in our next place. I spent one afternoon on Pinterest looking up how to style bookcases and “balance” them. I feel like I finally got it and now I don’t think I can ever add or subtract ANYTHING on here.

I am always really proud of our little house because anytime we have a new guest, there’s always some kind of positive comment about our design. I’m not great yet but I think I’m getting there 🙂

Shop this post below:

HOUSEPLANT SPOTLIGHT: FICUS TINEKE (VARIEGATED RUBBER PLANT)

This is the first post of a little series I am beginning on houseplants. I bought my first true houseplant last January and fell into a deep, deep obsession over the first half of 2018. I’ve calmed down a bit and have sold off many of the plants that I purchased. If you want to see my path of destruction (to my wallet and much more), check out my @plantlifebai account on Instagram.

Now that I’ve found myself on the other end of my obsession, the plants still standing have stood the test of time and I can whole-heartedly call them my “favorites”.

photo of variegated ficus tineke

My first and considerably my MOST favorite plant is this guy: Ficus Tineke. This is a variegated version of a Rubber plant and thus, sometimes is called a Variegated Rubber plant. The variegation in the leaves of this plant is soooooo pretty to me– it looks like a watercolor.

I first fell in love with Ficus Tinekes on Instagram and it took a few weeks for me to hunt down a little 4″ one from my local nursery. I babied that little plant until one day when I got a call from that same nursey informing me they had 6″ Tinekes with multiple stems and beautiful variegation. The issue with most Tinekes that I had come across was that the variegation was mostly dark green without much of the pretty white in the leaves that I loved. Skeptical, I went over to my nursey and COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES! So many perfect ones with the most variegation I had ever seen! I took a few and plopped them down on the ground to compare to one another and finally landed on a winner.

The plant came home with me and I repotted it into a slightly bigger nursey pot and added in the cute 4″ one that I had been growing in the few months prior. I now had a massive, insanely photogenic Variegated Rubber plant.

The Ficus family is a hardy bunch– with the exception of the well-known Ficus Lyrata– and don’t need tons of direct light. They are okay with indirect light in a South or West facing window– possibly even East. Ficus Tineke need a bit more than your run-of-the-mill Ficus simply because they are variegated, which means they have less chlorophyll in their leaves to absorb sunlight. That being said, this plant has been in a planter behind my desk and has done just fine. Each day after work I will place it on my kitchen table next to a Western window for a handful of hours to give it some brighter sun before putting it back into its planter.

As for humidity and watering, I like to mist my Tineke every other day or as often as I remember. You can’t really harm the plant with too much humidity, however, you CAN water the soil too much. I learned this the hard way when my 4″ plant got fungus gnats from my overwatering even though I only watered about once every week or week and a half. Thankfully I caught the gnat problem when they were still larvae and swapped out the wet soil for new (dry) soil which suffocated those buggers. My current watering plan is once every two weeks and I will wait even longer between waterings as the weather cools down and the plant enters dormacy.

Are you guys interested in my houseplant series? Let me know below 🙂

I would love to know if you have any houseplant questions or requests for care tips. LMK in the comments below!

CURRENT DINING AREA

Today I’m sharing with you another small nook of my little apartment (640 sqft is no joke, my friends. We lovingly refer to it as our “tiny cube”) This area serves as the dining room and the home office as my fiancé works from home 100% of the time. Keep reading to see more angles and get links to the items we have in the room.

small space combo dining and office area of home
We previously had this dining table with pine legs and it’s such a solid piece of furniture. I highly highly highly recommend it for any small space! I sold the pine once I saw there was a walnut version available. Walnut over all other woods. Always.
The rug has worked out perfectly with the round table because it mirrors the same silhouette and has also helped define the dining area from the working space.
Dining chairs: Target (!!!)
Office chair: World Market
Rug: IKEA
alternative view of my combo small space dining and office
This removable wallpaper has been featured on the blog in the past and I’m not sure how I lived so plainly in my home before it. I love it. Our desk is a different brand than the dining table but has a very similar style and the same tones and I think they go so well together. Any professional home renter who still loves home design (like me– sigh) NEEDS removable wallpaper!
Desk: Wayfair
Mirror: Target (similar)
Plant: Ficus Elastica Tineke (Variegated Rubber Plant) post coming soon!
Pot: HomeGoods
Stand: TJ Maxx
What is your favorite part of this room? I’ve been curating it slowly over the past two years that we’ve lived in our “cube” and of course, we are planning to move soon now that I have everything perfect. That’s okay, though. Home design is a fun hobby and I’m excited to perfect our next space.

Shop this post below:

CURRENT MANTLE DECOR

I la la looove my fireplace area in my apartment.
I have a bundle of firewood just waiting to be burned during the winter and all throughout the year I have holiday-focused decor flooding this slab of wood under my TV. I was so excited when I moved in because my landlord left the wall mount for a TV on the wall with all of the wiring pre-done. I never knew what minimalism I was missing out on by having my TVs sitting on console tables and past mantles!
Having the television up and out of the way has allowed my decor choices to shine. The photo above is my “year round” line-up. When there isn’t a major holiday coming up, this is the stuff that I have hugging my media screen.
Items featured:
Cactus: old Target decor piece from Spring 2017
Starburst figurine: old Target decor piece from ~2016
Wooden star: old Target decor piece from Winter 2013/2014
Candles: Target Hearth & Hand Pillar Candle in ‘Cardamom & Vetiver’ (Grey) and Target Hearth & Hand Pillar Candle in ‘Sugared Birch’ (White)
Candleholders: World Market Natural Wood Pillar Candleholder
Vase: Target Hearth & Hand Textured Sack Vase
Greens/faux eucalyptus: IKEA SMYCKA 
I’m very, very tempted to put some faux white brick or subway tile over the slate surround on my fireplace but that’s another project for another day. What do you think? Anything you’d change?