I’m so excited about tackling lots of outdoor projects this Summer! On my shortlist is getting our garden planted and planting a few planter herb gardens. I love using fresh herbs throughout the year and think I’ll have the best result with a container garden, plus I love the smell of the herbs on my patio and greenery they provide. On my recent trip to The Home Depot, I picked up two large terra cotta planters, soil and OFF! Deep Woods® Insect Repellent.

I love being outside this time of year working on projects; what I don’t like are the bugs, especially mosquitoes. This is a sponsored post in partnership with The Home Depot, all opinions and words are my own.

I am using OFF!® insect repellents giving me a long-lasting peace of mind, knowing I’m protecting myself from those pesky flying bugs. The spray goes on non-greasy and won’t stain clothing and its even sweat resistant! I love knowing that even on hot days when I’m outside working on projects, I’ll still be protected from insects.

Before planting my herb garden, I quickly sprayed my arms with OFF!® repellents. I got to work planting my herbs, feeling good I can be outside without worry of mosquito bites.

I love how my first herb planter turned out and I am excited to tackle the next one! Before tackling your next outdoor DIY Project, "Don't Forget the Pest Step."

Have you ever walked into a room you once loved and when you walk it just feels a little stale? Like it could use a little freshening up? That’s exactly how my living room was feeling a few months ago. Overall I love how my living room has slowly evolved over the past few years, but the space was missing something. It need a little oomph.

Not everyone in your home needs a major overhaul and all new everything. The reality is easy affordable updates in a living room go a long way in making a room feel fresh and new. Its those little tweaks in room that can add big impact. Today, I’m sharing five affordable ideas to quickly update your living room and while staying on budget.

ONE. LIGHTING // A few months ago, I updated our overhead living room light with a Grammercy Mid Century Modern style light. The new lighting is so pretty and really helps draw eyes up and out making my small living room appear larger. The quick update in my living room was under $125 and only took a little while to complete. In addition to overhead lighting, you can also swap out so-so lamps for a new pair. Also consider visiting a thrift store for lamps, my favorite lamps in my home have all been from thrift stores / consignment stores (including my beloved aqua lamp in my living room) Read more about my recent living room update.

Dreamy affordable lighting ideas for, under $ 200

TWO. NEW PAINT COLOR // Never underestimate the power of paint! Without fail, painting a room or painting baseboards creates the most bang for your buck. You can go big and change the color or just touch up your existing wall color. I also love the look painting the baseboards and trim in your space a color other than white. YUP, baseboards and trim don’t have to be white to look chic. In small rooms, consider matching your wall color and baseboards, it helps trick the eye and make your room appear larger

THREE. ARTWORK // When it comes to artwork, I say more the merrier on walls, bookcases! I love a good gallery wall! Gallery walls are timeless and have been around for ages. I love how that can easliy be Incorporated into almost any space. Consider, affordable artwork updates, but just swapping out what you currently have framed with new artwork or family photos. I love looking for original artwork on Etsy! I love that a lot of artists give you the options of printing at home. I’ve used Costco several times to print artwork, the prices are quality can’t be beat! My favorite mix of artwork in my home is: Abstract, Photography (color and black & white), Landscape Painting.

Here’s a few of my recent favorite Artwork finds on Etsy.

FOUR. NEW PILLOWS // Did you know the average home dweller has the same sofa for an average or 7-10 years? After a while of seeing the safe sofa with the same pillows, your sofa can look like wallpaper. Meaning you don’t even notice it in your room anymore. The quickest and affordable way to update the look and feel of your sofa, new pillows of course! My pillow preference is always feather-down pillows over poly-fill since feather maintains is shape longer. Skip the pillows where you can’t use a feather down insert. Trust me you don’t want lumpy pillows on your sofa. Mix + Match pillows or go all neutral and opt for texture or color. The right pillow combination on a sofa only enhances the look.

Below are a few neutral pillows ideas that will look good on any sofa all $60 and under

FIVE. ADD BOOKCASES // If your living room is lacking storage or has an old piece of furniture that’s no longer needed or useful, move it to another room of donate it! Life is too short to keep ‘things’ in a space where you spend so much time. Out with the old and in with a bookcase that’s more versatile in your room. IKEA, Target and CB2 have a lots of affordable modern bookcase styles that can provide storage and make your room feel new and refreshed.

image via Decor Your Home — image via **Decor Your Home**

I hope my ideas for for updating a living room are helpful in making your space feel fresh! It’s always exciting see the impact small tweaks can make in a room. Any recent changes to your home that made a big impact on a budget?

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