Aliya
Hi! my name is Aliya and I'm so glad you stopped by today! Truly you have no idea how much it means to me. I live in Ohio with my husband and 3 little girls. I believe that once we start opening our doors, that hearts will start to open around us as well. You can head over to the About Aliya page to get my whole story.
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2023 Homemaking Goals: Growing, Preserving, and Cooking Food from Scratch
Our goals for 2023 are about food from scratch: growing, preserving, and cooking it. And it’s for so much more than being a healthier weight. So a few weeks ago I shared a YouTube video and told you I wanted to share our goals for 2023. Now if I’m being perfectly honest I’m a little scared. (Which is why it’s taken me a month to actually do it haha.) Our goals for 2023 are HUGE, and I need to be clear about one thing before we go anything further. I’m certain we will fail in attaining our goals for 2023 perfectly. If you’d like to watch the YouTube video I…
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7 Budget Spring Decor Ideas: Beautiful European Cottage Style Kitchen
I’m so ready for Spring to arrive, so while we wait I decided to share a few budget Spring decor ideas from our kitchen to help you get ready. Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below, but these are products I recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally used. Before we get to all the tips I wanted to say a quick thank you to Kelly with Tattered Pew for putting this hop of 30 Spring Home Tours together. She is so talented and if you’ve never stopped by her home you want to make sure that you do. One of the most…
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Cozy & Simple European Cottage Winter Decor in the Kitchen
Winter decor can be hard, so today I’m excited to share our European cottage winter decor and a little secret about decorating your home. How I Simplified Our Home Decor this Winter Simple greenery stems Neutral and calm linens Display everyday items as decor (wooden spatulas in a crock, stand mixers, flour canisters, etc.) Remove items that are just decor with no function (I had books on the kitchen counter and they felt like they were cluttering the counter instead of adding to the aesthetic.) Display artwork that is life giving (this could be as simple as papers that the kiddos colored for you!! Is there any better artwork?) Go…
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7 Simple European Cottage Style Christmas Decorations
Adding cottage style Christmas decorations to your home is an easy way to add simplicity and calmness to your home for the holiday season. I want to share some of my favorite ways to decorate our home for the Christmas season. But I want to really focus on the elements that bring a slow and calm ambiance. So often Christmas feels like a whirlwind, and even though it seems to be going by quickly again this year, I want to do my part to help slow it down for my family. If you’re interested, you can watch the YouTube video HERE. Cottage Style Christmas Decorations: A Family Event Before we…
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Easy Cinnamon and Sugar Candied Pecans: A Simple Treat
The best thing about these candied pecans is that they double as a treat to take to gatherings and something special for Christmas morning! I’m so excited to be joining 15 wonderful ladies for some Christmas treats. There are so many delicious treats and I hope you’re able to snag a recipe or two to share with loved ones this year. Before we get into my simple cinnamon roasted pecans, I want to say thank you to my friend Jen from Midwest Life and Style for hosting this blog hop. If you’re here from Kelly with The Tattered Pew, welcome! And thanks so much for stopping by. Didn’t her molasses cookies look…
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Simple & Beautiful European Cottage Christmas in the Kitchen
The kitchen is the most used room in our home, so when I pull out my European cottage Christmas decorations I try to keep it simple. I’m so excited to be joining 34 wonderful ladies for some Christmas home tours. There will be so much Christmas inspiration all week, so make sure you keep coming back to see everything. Before we get into my cottage style Christas decor ideas, I want to say thank you to my friend Kelly with The Tattered Pew for hosting this blog hop. It’s one of my favorites! If you’re here from Julie with My Wee Abode wasn’t her tiny home Christmas decor beautiful?! Thanks so much for stopping…
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9 Thrifty Christmas Decor Ideas: Beautiful European Cottage Style
I’m excited to share some thrifty Christmas decor ideas, so you can decorate beautifully this Christmas and save money for what matters most. Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below, but these are products I recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally used. This year I challenged myself to buy nothing new for Christmas as far as the Christmas decor goes. The only thing I allowed myself to buy this year were stockings. I want all my girls to know that they are MY girls regardless of how they came to be with us. So even something like a stocking that doesn’t match…
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Limewash Paint Stone: DIY Beautiful Aged Fireplace Makeover
Limewash paint is a beautiful way to update stone or walls, but there are a few things I wish I knew before we started the fireplace makeover. Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below, but these are products I recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally used. So before we get into the meat of this post I want to remind everyone what the fireplace looked like before this. This is what the fireplace looks like now!! Talk about a transformation! It’s so much better than it used to be. If you want to watch the YouTube video of this project you can…
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Beautiful European Cottage Fireplace Makeover Ideas & Inspiration
I’m so excited to share some European cottage fireplace makeover ideas and inspiration as we begin to renovate our living room fireplace. We have lived in this house for 5 years. And for 5 years I have wanted to change this fireplace. It’s not the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen. In fact, there is nothing “wrong” with it. But it was never my style. Last year we added “fireplace makeover” to the list of projects we wanted to complete for 2021. But obviously, that didn’t happen. So this Summer when I mentioned to my husband that I really wanted to get it done, he must have tucked it away in…
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7 Thrifty & Easy Thanksgiving Decor Tips: Dining Room
Celebrating Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be expensive to be pretty so I’m sharing 7 thrifty and easy Thanksgiving decor tips When Heidi from Eleanor Rose Home told me she was organizing a Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving-themed hop I was so excited! So today I’m joining 11 amazingly talented ladies sharing Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving inspiration. If you’re here from Cindy’s post sharing dinner ideas thanks so much for stopping by! If we’ve never met you’re welcome to head over to the About Aliya section so you can get to know me a bit more. (Over there I share how and why I came to start Open Doors Open Hearts.) You can also…
