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It's that time of the year. The One Room Challenge Spring 2024 is on and I'm very excited to be participating again. My last ORC was the Spring of '22 and I worked on my outdoor space. I so wish I could show you the work I did, but sadly, I lost all of my blog post due to changing my blog host and forgetting to save everything before I deleted the previous server. In any event, this challenge is going to be the best on yet as I tackle my junky laundry room. First, let me give you a brief insight about what the One Room Challenge is. Back in 2011, Linda Weinstein decided to gather a small group of online friends to hold each other accountable while working on one room in their home. It turned into a large online community that showcases the progress of renovating one room in each participant's home without competition, but encouragement and motivation to complete it in 8 weeks. I'm going to need all the encouragement I can get so let me show you a few before pictures.. Before Ok, here's a look of how it looks currently. I love my washer and dryer and my table that my husband made, so those things will be staying. The other stuff all needs to go!! The Inspiration This laundry room is going to be SO good!!! Beautiful wallpaper, a new light fixture and rug, cabinets and floating shelves, and wainscoting on the wall. I may add a few more things (if time allows!) but overall, I'm loving this vibe. I hope you follow along with my along with the other participants and check out my sponsor list below to see how wonderful they are in helping me to create my dream laundry room- NOVO Building Products, Milton & King and Spoonflower. Thanks again to the ORC for putting together an amazing online event! Next up, working on preparing the walls and getting the ceiling ready for wallpaper- YIKES!!! Until Next Time,

Houseplants bring life and vibrancy to a home, and sometimes you gave a desire to bring more of them into your space but you don’t want to pay for them. I’m guilty of this,so I always know that I can propagate my plant to create new ones to add to my collection. Fortunately, there are several simple and effective methods for propagating houseplants, each with its own advantages and ideal scenarios. Let’s explore three common methods: stem cutting, division, and leaf cutting. ~ This blog may or may not use affiliate links: See my disclosure here Stem cutting is one of the most popular and straightforward methods of propagating houseplants. This method involves taking a healthy stem cutting from a mature plant and encouraging it to root in a new container. To propagate using stem cutting, begin by selecting a healthy stem with at least two nodes. Nodes are the points on a stem where leaves or branches emerge. Using a clean, sharp pair of scissors or pruning shears, make a clean cut just below a node, ensuring that the cutting is around 4-6 inches long. Remove any leaves from the lower portion of the cutting to prevent rotting. Dip the cut end of the stem into rooting hormone to promote root development, then plant the cutting in water with a small amount of plant food. I use the liquid plant food from the brand Happy Happy Houseplant because it's mild enough to use at each watering or you can place it directly into a well-draining potting mix. Keep the soil consistently moist and provide indirect sunlight to encourage root growth. Within a few weeks to a couple of months, roots should begin to form, and the cutting can be transplanted into a larger container. Save 10% off plant food using code 'MOCHAGIRLPLACE' at checkout. Division is another effective method for propagating houseplants, particularly those with clumping or spreading growth habits, such as ferns, spider plants, and peace lilies. This method involves separating a mature plant into smaller sections, each of which can grow into a new individual plant. To propagate by division, carefully remove the plant from its pot and gently shake off excess soil to expose the root system. Use a clean, sharp knife or gardening tool to divide the plant into sections, ensuring that each section has its own roots and at least one healthy shoot or growth point. Plant each divided section into its own pot filled with fresh potting mix, and water thoroughly. Place the newly divided plants in a location with indirect light and maintain consistent moisture until they become established. Division is a great way to rejuvenate overcrowded plants and create multiple specimens from a single parent plant. Leaf cutting is a propagation method commonly used for plants with fleshy leaves, such as succulents and certain tropical houseplants like African violets. This method involves removing individual leaves from a mature plant and coaxing them to produce new roots and shoots. To propagate by leaf cutting, gently twist or cut a healthy leaf from the parent plant, ensuring that the cut is clean and the leaf is intact. Allow the leaf cutting to callus over for a day or two to prevent rotting, then place it on top of a shallow tray or pot filled with well-draining soil or propagation mix. Mist the soil lightly to keep it moist, but be careful not to overwater, as excessive moisture can cause rot. Place the tray or pot in a warm, bright location with indirect sunlight, and within a few weeks, tiny roots should begin to form at the base of the leaf cutting. Once roots are established, new shoots will emerge, and the leaf cutting can be planted in its own pot to continue growing into a new plant. So, don’t be afraid of propagating your plants. You aren’t causing any harm to your mother plants, and it’s a rewarding and cost-effective way to expand your indoor garden and share your love of plants with others. Whether you prefer stem cutting, division, or leaf cutting, each method offers a unique approach to creating new plants from existing ones. By experimenting with these propagation techniques, you can enjoy the satisfaction of watching your houseplant collection grow and thrive. Until Next Time,

This blog is a bit different than most of the blogs I do. No DIYs, no room rearranging or plant talks. It's just me- I'm Tracey, the woman who likes to keep things simple and who likes to make things plain with some humor and class along the way. My life has been a series of "What am I doing???" and "Where am I going??" situations that usually led me in a circle of confusion when it came to what I wanted to do with my life. I've always had dreams- I got married to the love of my life, had 3 beautiful children and was a stay at home mom for the majority of it. However, being Ellis Hunter's daughter, I always had a strong desire to own my own business. My dad was a businessman through and through. I grew up seeing him working tirelessly on creating his own computer analyst company from the ground up. Being a black man in the 70s accomplishing this was definitely commendable and it showed me that anything was possible with hard work and a strong determination to create a space for a black man to flourish. So, getting to the title of this blog- Why I decided to become a content creator. I really had to have a conversation with myself. Why DID I decide to become one? Was it for the money? The exposure?? I suppose if I were honest, the answer would be somewhat. I've had several businesses over the years from making my own soap to organizing people spaces to having my own jewelry line and the one thing that I kept coming back to in my head is that I love being around people. I enjoy connecting with them on a intimate level. I enjoy the conversations and the engagement I get with people whom I truly feel have MY best interest at heart. These engagements that I have when I'm showing you a how-to or some kind of plant tip, really make me feel special. Working with brands are unique in that you tend to work with a third party that represents the brand. Sometimes you have general conversations about what is required for the collaboration, but then there are those other times in which you can build a relationship with a company and have those meaningful conversations and interactions. Those are the ones I truly enjoy the most. "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." ~Maya Angelou In the end, I became a content creator because of YOU. I enjoy watching you step out of your box to try and do something you've never done before all because you saw me try it. Most of the time I'm not sure if it'll turn out, but you are there cheering me on, while in your mind you're thinking can I do this too. Brands who see me and see those interactions are the ones I want to work with the most. They see and understand my engagement with you and are wanting to bank on me to showcase their product. Is this an easy field to be in- NO!! You are on most of the time and you're constantly working hard to get those brands to notice you. So will I tell you it's a profitable business?? It can be, but with a lot of work and patience. I would be lying to you if I said that anyone can do it. It's not for those who hate to be in front of the camera, who hate being vulnerable for the world to see and making most of your life public. The entertainer in me makes it fun (it's still hard though!) and I don't shy away from talking in front of a camera. I grew up singing in front of large crowds to singing in front of congregations to stadiums singing the National Anthem. Was it scary- You bet! Did I do it anyways- of course I did! I think that's what makes a good content creator. You never know what works. You just put yourself out there and be honest with who you are as a person and people will love and accept you for who you are and what you stand for. I stand for kindness and honesty. I create space for anyone who wants a seat at my table. So Until Next Time,

Well, it took me a minute, but we finally finished our fireplace. This was a process that took longer than I expected- not because there was anything wrong. I just didn't feel the need to rush. We don't use this fireplace for heat- it's simply for esthetics and honestly, what was here before was outdated and I just wanted a cleaner look. Let me show you the before... The Before This picture was taken back in 2021. It took me a while to find this photo ( boy, has my style changed!) because I hardly ever took a photo of this space because I didn't like it. I would usually just crop out that part in the photo. I knew I wanted something and fast forward to 2023, when I finally decided to make that move to subway tile. All of the items used for this project was from Home Depot, andI really didn't cost much to do. I will say, however, that it was very labor intensive so be prepared in th event you want to try tiling on your own. First thing I did was to find inspiration as to what type of mantel I wanted and what color tile. My vision was for it to be very clean and neutral in color and a big chunky wood mantel. So my husband created a floating wood mantel and I picked out white subway tile by Daltile from the Home Depot . We wanted to create the mantel first so we could see exactly how much tile we needed. We decided to go with the 4x8 ceramic white glazed subway tile. I used 6 boxes to create this look. You can find them here For the wood mantel, we used Behr water based wood stain in English Chestnut. You can find it here Now comes the hard part. Laying the tile. Once we removed the old mantel and tile, we had to redo all of backer board because it got damaged during the removal of the tile. Once we replaced that, we mapped out the tile and slowly got to work. We invested in a wet saw because we knew that it was going to be more than one day and renting one countless times would be the same as owning one. Our favorite brand, Ryobi, was our choice. Here is the final look of all the tile laid in place. We then waited 48 hrs to grout, and then another 24 hrs to seal it. And there you go! I'm so pleased as to how it turned out. As always, this job is done with my partner in crime, my boo, my helpmate, my husband Reggie. Big jobs like this require 2 people (or at least in my mind they do!) and we both worked really hard to get this completed by the end of 2023. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do- Drop a line below to tell me what you think. Until next time,

This time of the year brings so many memories to my mind and I'm reminded of how much my childhood was spent during Christmas enjoying my family and the love that my mother held so dear for her children. She always made Christmas special for us and never let us feel like we were without, even though later I found out that money was always tight. With my own family, being in the military meant often being away from our families and so I tried to make the holidays as memorable as possible. Although my children are adults now, they still remind me of how much fun they had during Christmas and their memories of stockings and special gifts. I've forgotten that and I must admit that I thought they wouldn't notice, but clearly I was wrong. Sometimes, we forget that Christmas is about Jesus and He is all about love. To love each other means not just saying it, but showing it. I'm reminded daily about the love I have for my family. My husband, children and granddaughter mean the world to me and although I tell them I love them all the time, I could show it more. I thought I'd take a trip down my memory lane of Christmas past. My heart and soul are filled with so much love when I look back at these photos and the memories flood back like a peaceful river. I don't have many photos, but each one represents a time in my life that clearly mean the world to me. My mom was one of those moms. You know, very creative, can make something out of nothing kind of mom. I'm pretty sure that if it was possible to have a creativity gene, my mom definitely passed it down to me. During the holidays, my mom would create new pieces to add to her holiday decor. This particular year was her version of a gingerbread village. Now why she had it on the floor, I don't know. Later, she wised up and put it up on the table. One of the things my mom made sure of was that my sisters and I always walked down the stairs one by one so she could get a picture of us. I think I was around 4 or 5 in this picture and it was the thing back then in the 70s to hang the Christmas cards on the wall. Of course she had to be creative in a budget friendly way, so she made an aluminiun foil chain for the cards to hang on and she also made my (and my sisters) PJs! Christmas morning was so special to us and my mom always made sure of that. It may not have been a ton of stuff, but she always had a way of making each of us special by getting our gifts to match our personality. We had a routine- Get up, come downstairs to open up our presents and while we're having fun, my mom played Christmas music while fixing our traditional Christmas breakfast. That tradition has rolled over into our family. I always make sure that we have our traditional Christmas breakfast, similar to what my mother did. I can't really remember if we had real or fake tree. I kinda remember, but I mostly remember the fake ones. I never cared one way or another if the tree was fake or not, but I do remember all of the unique ornaments my mother used. We were of the make your own type of ornaments. She was proud of the ones we made at school and those for sure went on the tree and she very crafty herself and made several that I still have today. I've gotten away from putting those unique, personal ornaments on the tree but I still have them. I think that next year, 2 trees will go up, one with the special ornaments that I hold so dear from my children and from my mother. Today, my heart and soul are with these beatiful people. The memories and traditions that I have given to them hopefully will be passed on their own families and they will remember fondly the traditions of the Christmas breakfast, wearing of the holiday headbands and the annual photo. I hope that they see that what my mother gave to me, I'm giving to them. I hope that, however you spend the holidays, you spend it with people you love. Make those traditions. Have fun, and tell each other you love them as much as possible. My sweet Mommy is no longer with us and I miss her so. But, the memories of her Christmases with my sisters and I will always be a cherished time and I'll fondly look back on them with love and happiness. Until Next Time,

Every now and again, I get the urge to be creative. I mean, REALLY creative. I find inspiration in so many places, whether it be on social media, Pinterest or magazines. I try to made it my own and put my own special spin on things. I never know how they create it or what it took for them to create it. That's where my personal creativity comes in and I figure it out on my own. The Inspiration I had envisioned these for my home but I wanted an easy way to recreate them so I snapped some pics as inspiration ( See those prices???? That's why I wanted to make them myself! Lol!) So I thought long and hard and said to myself "How would Tracey make these??" This is what I came up with- I went to Home Depot and the fabric store to find some products that I could use that would mimic the look of these cool mushroom stools. Below is what I used- I found a concrete cement tube mold that I used as the base. It's pretty sturdy but not sturdy enough to sit on everyday so I added heavy duty tape to the bottom. I made one stool using a heavy duty twine to make it even stronger. I took a piece of plywood that I already had and cut out some circles. The other mushroom, I just double up fabric around the base. I got 6 round foam pieces that were the same size as the plywood rounds and then it was time to get started. Here is how I assembled each mushroom- I cut my tube to the desired height. I took my jigsaw and cut out a circle to the same size as my foam circles. I took my glue gun and glued the twine all around the tube. I stacked all 3 foam circles and glued them with a spray adhesive to avoid slipping. Then I used an electrical bread knife to shape the foam circles into a mushroom top. I used spray adhesive again to lay down a layer of batting and then applied my fabric over top. I stapled it all down and pushed the excess fabric in the top. Finally I took some screws to attach the top to the base. And there you have it! All in all, these were actually fairly easy to do and they are sturdier than I thought! I hope inspired you to make some for yourself. Let me know in the comments below what you think! Until Next Time,

September was definitely one for the books! As a content creator, you are sometimes privy to different types of events, conferences and different opportunities that can help further expand your brand. Working with BHG was a dream job and it brought back memories of my childhood with Better Homes and Gardens magazines lying around my house and watching my mother make a meal from the red and white cookbook. So when I got invited to their Stylemaker event, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be amongst fellow creators and designers and hobnob with the BHG executives and staff. So, my trip begins with a pre trip with my husband. We decided to get there a day early, see a few sites and go to a broadway show. I'm so glad my husband made the trip with me. We always have a great time and every trip feels like a mini honeymoon- The play we went to was AMAZING!!! We saw The Lion King ( my very first Broadway play!) and it definitely lived up to all it's expectations. The day finally arrives and I'm so excited because I finally get to meet some of my social media friends that I've never met in real life and some others that I have and of course some brand new ones that I was able to make new connections with. I think that's what Better Homes and Gardens is really about- connection. Connecting to the reader, connecting to other creators all while expressing love for all things home and garden. It truly showed this day from the moment we arrived. From the beautiful floral arrangements and amazing backdrops, they really made us feel special. The floral arrangements were stunning! The perfect backdrops for photos! The day consisted of various panels to inspire us and to help us be our best creative self. Listening to these different panels really helped me to better understand 1. How to dig deep and manifest our success 2. How to be trendy in how we entertain and to create wonderful spaces 3.Talking to the people behind the brand and requirements needed for being in BHG and finally 4. Photo Styling 101 which was so helpful to me and made me rethink how I style my photos. Now this day could not have happened without the wonderful Editor in Chief Stephen Orr. He is so kind, very charismatic and you can tell that everyone over at Dotdash greatly admires him. They also knocked it out the park by inviting my gal (and mentor!) Carmeon Hamilton to be the Emcee for the day. Our main guests for the day were a dream and I was absolutely thrilled to see them in real life. Tabitha Brown is a gem. She clearly understood the assignment and created her brand to the fullest by putting God first and trusting what He has in store for her. And finally Nate Berkus and his husband Jeremiah. I've been a fan of Nate for years and is was so good to hear him speak and talk about his journey in design. All in all, the day was AWESOME!! We ended the night with a cocktail party with a view of the city. The weather wouldn't let us be great to do a champagne toast at sunset, but we did managed to socialize outdoors anyways. The DeeJay was awesome, the finger food was to die for and the drinks were a plenty. We all took plenty of pictures and laughed and giggled throughout the night. At the end, they gave us an wonderful swag bag to take home as a token of our wonderful experience. So, what can I say about the Better Homes and Garden Stylemaker event?? First, I was truly humbled to be invited. BHG has been around for over 100 years, spanning decades of inspiration for your home, lifestyle and garden and I got to be a part of it. I love how diverse the group of people were, from the invitees to even the people that worked there. It makes me feel good that they make it a priority to be diverse and include every walk of life in their company. My heart was full and I'm already planning on attending next year (fingers crossed) Below are some of the sponsors and vendors that put the icing on the cake for our day. Like I said before, I'm looking forward to next year already and hopefully I'll make even more new friends! *All professional photos courtesy of Sean Sime Photography So Until Next Time,

I LOVE being outside. I mean, when there's no bugs or hot weather. Really, nature brings such a sense of calmness to my spirit and it's mostly because I love looking at pretty things. So creating a zen, tropical dining area was a must and trying to find a way to incorporate an easy DIY into the mix was a obvious solution. I thought about ways of using items I already had and making them into something awesome, so I had some wood pieces lying around and I created something unique for my outdoor table. Let me show you how I made this easy wood table runner. So this concept all started with these scrap pieces of wood. Not much to look at, I know. The plan is to take these pieces of wood and make a table runner down the center of the table that can also be used as a food placemat. I wanted to paint them as well so I went to Home Depot to pick up some exterior paint. Next came the colors. I wanted to minic the colors that I have in my backyard space and I just needed sample colors so I didn't waste paint. I gave each piece 2 coats and since this paint is an exterior paint, I didn't add a sealer but you can if you wish. Before I painted them, I first needed to see if I had enough and I clearly didn't!!! So make sure you map it out prior to painting and attaching them to your table. Once I had enough to extend the length of the table and finished painting (1 color per 2 pieces of wood), I mapped it out again to get how I wanted the grid to look like. I then used wood glue to attach them directly onto the table and let dry overnight. And there you have it!! This is the perfect addition to this table and honesly it was one of my easiest DIY to date! Really, the amount of projects you can use this similar method on in endless. Tables, backs of chairs, benches, really anything! What do you think?? Please leave your comments down below- I'd love to hear from you. Until Next Time,

Last year, I participated in my first DIY for a Cure. In all honesty, I'd never heard of it. But of course, the circle I follow on social media made it easy for me to find out about it and what it was all about. I'm a real big believer of supporting causes that benefit health- related issues. This cause is very special- This cause is all about raising awareness and support for pediatric cancer. Cancer is a disease that affects every single person on the planet. Pediatric cancer is so heartbreaking because it involves children. So anyway I can help raise money or bring awareness to, I'll totally down for. *This blog post shows gifted products from Mitzi Lighting. The Before This is my guest bathroom. It wasn't too hot to look at, just a basic bathroom. Diy for a Cure is for one week only and you can do just about anything. A small diy project, a project you worked on before that you want to highlight, or like me, refresh a space. I thought, "Oh sure Tracey, you can change up the look of this space in one week, no problem". Well, it wasn't a problem. It was just A LOT. First, I came up with a moodboard.. I wanted it to be BOLD so my first thought was paint and wallpaper. The combination of the two are perfect ways to instantly change up a space. So I went with my favorite Peel and Stick wallpaper from Spoonflower and wall paint from Behr. Next came new lights and my favorite company, Mitzi Lighting helped to add a whimsical feel to the space and of course some diy, and products from Amazon to help make it all come together. All sources will be tagged below. So here are all the before and afters. From cabinet and wall painting, to the faucet and lights, I was able to completely transform this space. The cool wallpaper from Spoonflower turned out even better than I hoped and I was able to add long curtains from Spoonflower as shower curtains to complete the look. Yes, it took me a week to do. Yes, I was exhausted. Yes, it turned out amazing and I'd do it all over again to raise awareness for a worthy cause. In fact, I AM doing it again in a couple of weeks. Maybe not as extensive as last years, but it will be a cool change nonetheless. If you want to learn more about DIY for a Cure, head over to DiY for a Cure for more details. Until next time, SOURCES Wallpaper ( Heron Large Green)- Spoonflower Paint in the color Rusty Gate- Behr Lighting (3 light wall sconce)- Mitzi Lighting/ Single light- Mitzi Lighting Curtains (Boucle texture Chartreuse Green) - Spoonflower Cabinet Knobs- Amazon Faucet- Amazon

One of the things I love about my house is the opportunity to change the look of it when I feel like it. I have two guest bedrooms in the back of my home and they're usually occupied by one of my adult children. This room was technically was my son's room. I've always had this room styled and when he would come home from college, I'd let him do his thing and when he leave, I'd clean it all up and change it around until the next time he came home. Well now he's gone for good (in his own apartment!) and I changed it again. This time, it was for my eldest daughter. I didn't want to go too overboard with the look, but I did want it to be stylish. This is where paint plays a factor in how to change up a space. Visual Statements Let's talk wall color. I have never used black as a paint color ever in my home. I'm a huge fan of color, but I never thought black on the walls would look good in my house. Boy, was I wrong! Of course, this is not your ordinary black color. This is from my favorite paint company Behr called Black Mocha. I also wanted to create the illusion that I had a headboard even when I don't. So I went through my husband's pile of scrap wood and found random sizes of wood and nailed them to the wall to create the illusion of a headboard. Next came the visual statement on the ceiling. This extra large wicker medallion that I thrifted has been in this room already for a number of years as a headboard, but I wanted to talk it up a notch and use it as a ceiling to draw you eyes up and make the room look like it has vaulted ceilings. The rest of this space is all the visuals and home accessories that complete the look of this space. I'll link everything I possibly can below (some things are discontinued) and I hope you love this space as much as I do! Until next time, Lighting- Mitzi Lighting ( out of stock but here's something similar) Mirror- Jungalow ( out of stock, but here's something similar) Bedspread- Jungalow x Opalhouse from Target ( out of stock, but here's something similar) Large Wicker Basket- Expedition Subsahara Curtains- Amazon

I love fashion!! It's makes me happy when I find a great piece of clothing to create a fabulous outfit. What's even better about is cool skirt below, is that it's THRIFTED!! That makes this all the more better. I like to think outside the box to create really cool outfit that can transition from day to night. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Would you wear this?? Until next time,

What a blessing to have been interviewed for The Washington Post! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that was even a thought, but God saw fit for me to be asked and I humbly accepted! A big shoutout to Amanda Long for writing such a beautiful piece and for Carlos Bernatem for the amazing photos! You can read the original article here... Until Next Time,