Can anyone remember what life was like without Pinterest? I truthfully don’t remember how I used to plan out my meals when grocery shopping, what inspiration I used for decorating apartments in my early twenties, or why I saved all of those outfits I couldn’t afford and probably was never brave enough to wear. Let’s face it though- Pinterest has upped all of our “influencer” lives, and we wouldn’t be the same without it. A few years ago, I stumbled upon bar carts and became obsessed with them. About four years ago, I wanted to purchase a bar cart to bring a certain je ne sais quoi to my home decor. Originally I thought I would use the cart for generic bar storage (wine glasses, champagne glasses, bar tools, etc), but then I started changing the theme for every holiday. Decorating my bar cart has become one of my favorite pastimes, and many of my Instagram followers have told me they love seeing my posts! It took me a few tries to get the basics, but I’ve created a mental checklist that I follow when I want to create a new theme for my bar cart. Once you’ve got the cart of your dreams, the rest is easy! Here are the steps I follow when decorating my bar cart. 1. Obviously find the bar cart you want- I got mine at Target (circa 2016) for a decent price, and it has held up so well over the years. I think I purchased mine around Black Friday, so it was just around $100. Seems kinda steep, but I believe wholeheartedly this piece of furniture is a staple for all 20-somethings. Like wine, it will age well with time. Find your cart and the first step is complete! 2. Find the fluff- It's a bar cart, so you want to make sure you have some cocktail essentials. I scoured the TJ Maxx racks and bought a cocktail shaker and ice bucket. Both of them were mixed metal (gold and silver), so they matched my cart perfectly. You can add cute glasses too. In the past I’ve used wine glasses to add dimension to my cart in addition to the cocktail shaker and ice bucket. Once you have the tools, it’s super easy to build the rest. 3. Add the decorations- TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Hobby Lobby, Target and Dollar Tree are my GO TO spots. When I know the theme I want to go with, I always hit up these stores. Honestly Kroger stores that carry home items are a hidden gem too. Some of my favorite pieces are signs with quotes, holiday-specific banners, cute paper straws, and letter boards. Decide on the theme you want, and then go from there. You’ll know what to keep an eye out for. Another tip: hit up the stores after each holiday. For Christmas this past year, I stocked up on TONS of 90% off items. Eventually Adam told me enough was enough, but I scored gift bags as low as ten cents. We’re stocked up for the next few holidays! I’ll wait until stores go 90% off and then I’ll buy items for the next year. If I see something I really want to have and don’t want to miss out on, I’ll leave it in my cart the entire time I’m in the store, contemplate it for 20 minutes, and still end up purchasing it because I have FOMO. For my summer bar cart last year I got mostly everything at Target (per usual). Their party supplies are fairly inexpensive, and they tend to follow themes too. Many of the holiday decorations (Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, etc) are often grouped together. Don't forget to check the end caps! All of the party banners, paper straws and drinkware are from the party supplies aisle. 4. Choose a letter board quote- I LOVEEEEE a good, cheesy pun. The cornier the better for me. Sometimes I’ll search on Pinterest for quote ideas, and a lot of the time I’ll use lyrics from popular music. The letter board ties in all of the decorations, and you can use them for more than just your bar cart. I’ve seen people use letter boards for Facebook/Instagram announcements (pregnancies, big moves, first day of school, etc). You can also purchase different sets of letters for the boards instead of the black letters they come with. I got my letter board from Target, and I use it year round! 5. Put everything together- Now that you’ve got all your desired pieces, you can put your bar cart together! Don’t forget to post on Instagram and hashtag every single thing you can think of. Funny story- one of my Thanksgiving carts when viral practically. I have no idea what happened lol. I love decorating my home so much, and it truly does make me happy when I see my creativity come to life. I think the next project I want to work on will be a coffee bar in our kitchen. I say that now, but will probably wait months and months before I start that task. Tsk tsk. Do any of you have a bar cart already in your home? Where are your favorite places to buy home decor?
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