Happy Tuesday! Today, I want to share with you this print that I recently got. I love it, both because of the gorgeous lettering and because of the sentiment it expresses: "choose done over perfect." This is such a freeing thought! I see so many quotes these days that encourage us to pursue our dreams, aim high, and never settle. But sometimes, those quotes can be more stressful than they are inspiring--they can make us feel like we have to do it all, and we should never stop striving to be better. That's a lot of pressure! I think it really is okay is to "settle" for "good enough." It's not a failure, it just means you're choosing to spend your time and energy on something that's more important to you. You can clean your house all day, or you can say, "Good enough--I'm getting outside and doing something fun!" You can look up every single hotel and Airbnb, trying to find the best deal on the best place, or you can find something that's good enough and move on (that's a reminder for me--I've been working on booking places for our Europe trip!). I really believe in this philosophy, and I want to live by it a little more. Perfection is an unrealistic standard to hold myself to, anyways!

What about you? What quotes have been resonating with you lately?

P.S. If you love this print as much as I do, you can shop it here.

Happy Friday! I have some awesome Instagram accounts to share with you today. I've done this a couple times, but I've mostly focused on smaller accounts so far. This time, I just want to show you my faves--because who knows, maybe you haven't heard of one of these yet?! In which case, it’s about time you were introduced. You'll probably see a common thread in all of these accounts--bright, fresh colors (with plenty of pink!), mostly white backdrops, and a good dose of flowers and sweets. What can I say, I double tap for all of the above!

1. @sugarandcloth: If I had to pick just one blog and Instagram to follow, Sugar & Cloth would be it! I love everything about Ashley's style. Her DIY projects, her studio and home decor, and her wardrobe...yes to all of it. She's one of the first DIY blogs I found (years ago) and I've really enjoyed seeing her blossom and grow. Plus, I feel like she’s just so deserving of her success. Super funny, creative, relatable, nice, and generous with her advice--basically just the real deal, all around.

2. @decor8: Decor8 is the very first interiors blog I ever stumbled across, and it's still my favorite! Holly has such a great eye for recognizing trends, and her writing is always really thoughtful and inspiring. I love following along on her Instagram and getting some peeks into her life and creative process!

3. @lovelyindeed: Chelsea is another of my favorite bloggers. Her DIY projects are always on point, and her style is so bright, cheery, and colorful…I love it! Plus, Chelsea herself is super nice and funny, and just seems like the kind of girl you’d want to be friends with “in real life."

4. @alainakaz: You read The Everygirl, don’t you? If you’ve never heard of it, click here (you’re welcome). It’s one of my favorite websites for all kinds of inspiration, from career advice to book recommendations to style tips and home tours. And Alaina is it’s co-founder! Not surprisingly, her own home and life are also full of inspiration--I love her classic, feminine style.

5. @taylorsterling. Taylor is the founder of one of my other favorite sites, Glitter Guide. I love her style so much! I pretty much want everything she has in her home and wardrobe. Don’t you wish you could just copy-paste things from Instagram sometimes? I’ll take that and that aaand that too, please.

6. @designlovefest: I’m guessing you already know and love Bri, but just in case, I had to include Designlovefest on this list! Bri has a great eye and is really inspiring, both because she’s a majorly successful blogger and because she travels a lot (something I definitely want to do more of). She does a great job at sharing snaps from her personal life along with blog content.

7. @leifshop: Stacy is the founder of my favorite shop for home goods, Leif. If I could only pick one place to accessorize my house from, this would be it! It's so well curated, I literally want every. single. thing. If you love design, decorating, and happy colors (or if you’re curious what it would be like to run a boutique!), you should definitely follow her.

8. @studiodiy: Do you love donuts, tacos, emojis, and FUN? You should probably follow Studio DIY, then. Kelly has a really distinctive style that will brighten your day…her DIYs are always so cute and clever (hello, taco letter holder!), and her Instagrams are too.

9. @em_henderson: Okay, you’ve probably heard of Emily Henderson--she’s kiiind of a big deal--but I had to include her, too. Because she’s awesome! Not only does she have amazing taste, but she’s also hilarious and really relatable, and her writing is so, so good. Her blog is one of the few that I read not just for inspiration, but because it’s just majorly entertaining.

So there you have it! My top nine. Were there any that you didn’t follow already? And knowing my faves, are there any other accounts you’d recommend to me? I’d love to check them out.

Happy, happy Friday!!!! Hope you all have an amazing weekend.

P.S. See my previous Instagram suggestions here and here.

Last month, I challenged myself to post at least one Instagram a day. And I realized, taking photos (even if they're just on your phone) is a lot like any other exercise...the more you do it, the more you enjoy it and want to do it! It's the same way for me with DIYs and blog posts. Sometimes I feel like my creative juices are all dried up, but once I start working on something, more and more ideas come to me. So if you're feeling burned out, try to exercise that creative muscle a little bit every day, whether it's sketching, writing, DIY projects, or just iPhone photos. It helps! And you'll get stronger. Ok, I realize that sounded like I was equating Instagram to art. I do know they're not on the same level...but I think the principle still applies. You get what I'm saying, right?

With that said, here are a few of my Instagrams from April. If you already follow me on Instagram, sorry for the repetition!

My family came to visit earlier this month, and it was so good to see them. My gorgeous sister is almost a senior in high school!

We also finally visited The London Plane this month. I'd seen it on Instagram quite a bit and had been wanting to check it out for awhile. We didn't have time to eat there, but we did wander around the shop. It's a beautiful place!

Midway through the month, we went to Colorado for Ben's sister's wedding. It was a bit chilly there and the ceremony was outdoors, so I loved their idea for blanket favors (plus, how cute is that sign?)

When we came back home, the dogwood tree in front of our house was in full bloom! So pretty.

I also got my latest Rocksbox set. I've been enjoying getting these--they're kind of like Netflix for jewelry. You get three pieces to wear for a month, then you send them back and get new ones! If you want to try it out, I have a code you can use to get your first month free: athomeinlovexoxo.

The weather in Seattle was AMAZING all month long, so Ben and I have been trying to go on more lunchtime walks during the workweek. This was from a picnic we had at a park near our offices. If you come to Seattle someday, you have to try a sandwich from Paseo...so, so good.

We've also been going for more walks around our neighborhood in the evening, and I decided to (creepily) take photos of my favorite houses. Our neighborhood really does have some super cute ones!

Plus, I treated myself to lots of goodies this month--from cupcakes to flowers, to lattes and coconut gelato. A lot of my Instagrams are of little joys like that--they always feel worthy of documentation!

How was your month? Hope you had a good one too.

Some people love the challenge of a DIY project and thoroughly enjoy making things themselves. Other people would rather just buy things and save themselves the time and frustration. I get both points of view, and depending on the project and how much money I'm saving, I can fall on either side. That said, there is a sense of pride and satisfaction in decorating your house with something that you created...and it makes your decor that much more personal! So when it comes to the question of "DIY or buy", my favorite answer is a mix of both. When I can easily buy all the necessary supplies (preferably from one place), and finish the DIY quickly, with minimal frustration...that's the best of both worlds. This project is exactly that! It's totally foolproof and easy, and it'll take you less than an hour to make (you can finish it while watching a movie!), but you still get the satisfaction of knowing that you made it yourself. Win-win!

You will need:
One natural wood bead kit from Laikonik, a hammer and nails, and...that's it! Yep, this set includes basically everything that you need (3 meters of leather cord and 70 large wood beads).

Measure how much of the cord you need for your mantel (or wherever you want to put your garland), then string enough beads to fill that length.

Tie the garland into knots at either end and nail them to your mantel. I also tied a loop of leather cord around the middle of the garland, then nailed that in to hold up the center.

That's it! Told you, easiest DIY project ever. You could paint the beads if you want to personalize this project a little further, but I think the natural wood looks lovely. I'm really happy with how this garland turned out, and I think it helped to make our mantel a little more spring-y! We still had the tree garland up from Christmas, so it was about time we switched it out...

What do you think? Would you try this project? And where do you usually fall on the spectrum of DIY or buy? I'm always curious to hear what makes people want to DIY something (or not). For me, I always get turned off if a project involves too many power tools, a sewing machine, or expensive materials that I don't have. What makes me want to DIY is usually if the project looks fun and easy, is something that I can't find in a store, or is significantly cheaper than the store-bought version. This one definitely fulfills those requirements!

P.S. There are lots of other things you could do with wood beads too! I rounded up some fun ideas here, and I also shared the instructions for a wood bead necklace in this post.