Since we got home from Christmas travels, we have been purging and cleaning to get the nursery empty and ready.  We have two guest bedrooms – the main guest room and the smaller one that we used as a guest room/office/treadmill room.  The smaller one is becoming the nursery and while we were updating that we also realized it was time (I meannnn we’ve only lived in our house for 2 years….. whoops) to tackle the guest bedroom too!

In addition to some serious purging and reorganizing, we did a few small updates.  We previously had a full size bed and headboard from when I lived solo in Chicago; I thought it was great (beautiful West Elm headboard, nearly new mattress, same white quilted coverlet) and perfectly fine but my husband informed me that “regular sized people” cannot fit in that bed.  For the record, I am 5’4, which I consider to be regular size.  BUT, I agree, a bigger bed when visiting someones house is always a plus.  So we upgraded to a queen size bed.

(side note : We ordered a Tuft and Needle mattress, but are debating sending it back.  Our master bedroom mattress is Tuft and Needle and we are OBSESSED with ours, but they changed the firmness of the mattress without us realizing it since we got ours and now they are softer.  I feel like the new mattress is too soft, and so does Kip, but we aren’t the ones sleeping in there??? So we are kind of torn on what to do!)

Then we ordered a queen size headboard from Wayfair on super sale
and couldn’t be happier with it.  (It’s currently 50% off too!)

We still have a lot that I would love to do to the room, but the babies are already taking precedence (as they will be for the next 18-22 slash forever number of years) and we kept the budget small to save money for other home projects. (i.e. TWINS.)

We were off to a good start with a new mattress and headboard,
but the most important part of any guest bedroom is always
THE SHEETS!
The key to a good nights sleep and feeling at home when you are away from home is perfectly soft and luxurious sheets.  And if you’re anything  like me, you want the look and feel of luxury but you don’t want to break the bank for it . And that’s exactly what these sheets from California Design Den offer!

They are 400 thread count, 100% cotton, eco-friendly and completely soft and yummy.  They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, too, so there is no risk in trying them!
AND.  Something that is VERY important to me: they are easy to take on and off the mattress! Does anyone else have the hardest time getting the 4th corner onto the mattress when sheets are so tight that you can barely make the bed yourself?! These are made to fit deep mattresses so it’s SO easy to re-make the bed after washing these.
I cannot wait to get a King size set for our master bedroom, because not only do we need new sheets, I am completely unable to fit our current set on the mattress they are so damn tight! and at almost 7 months pregnant it’s nearly impossible! 

I feel like sheets are one of those things you never think to treat-yo-self to a new set of, despite being something you should definitely invest in.  You spend more time in bed than anywhere else!   At least I do…..
And your bed should feel like a little sanctuary and haven for a good nights sleep.
Also, it’s a new year!!  Good sleep hygiene is always a top intention/resolution for me every year, and sheets are the easiest way to help get a good nights sleep!

A few things to have in a guest bedroom to make it a home away from home: 
* I put a little tray in the room with bottled waters, advil, a few snacks like granola bars, and a little sweet treat like chocolate peanut butter cups or something.  That way they have a midnight snack and morning snack with water all set for them whenever they want it!
*Fresh flowers.  They always make every room better.
* A noise machine.  I cannot sleep without my iPhone plugged into the wall and my soundmaker app blasting, so we put a little white noise machine in the guest room too.
* I love to put a favorite picture of you and your guest in the frame on the nightstand. It’s such a cute little personal touch (I stole this, and pretty much all of this, from my sister! She always had our wedding photo framed when we would fly down to visit and it was so sweet!)
*An assortment of magazines for them to peruse before bed.

A few things I still need to add to our guest room to make it a perfect home away from home :
* A mirror in the bedroom is a huge plus if there isn’t an attached private bath.  We currently do *not* have that, and the powder room is in the hall, so I need to make sure I get one in there ASAP! It’s nice to be able to have a mirror in the room to use as opposed to always have to go out into the hallway into the bathroom.  Especially when traveling with your significant other and one of you needs to be in the bathroom, then the other can still get ready in the bedroom!
* A little notecard or small frame with the Wifi Password, and an extra iPhone charging cord all plugged in and ready to go (make it a different color than white so that it stays at your house and doesn’t accidentally get packed away!)
*  Extra blankets or a fan in the closet in case they are hot or cold.  Also different pillow options.
* If you have an extra robe or set of slippers, leave them hanging in the closet for them to feel cozy and right at home.

I truly can’t recommend the California Design Den sheets enough.  They also come in lots of color options if you are looking for something other than white sheets.  You can shop all of their products at their website here.
I can’t wait to get them in OUR bedroom as well so I don’t have to be jealous of the soft new sheets down the hall!
What are your essentials to make your guest room ready for visitors at any time?!

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I received complimentary sheets from California Design Den in exchange for an honest review.  
As always, thanks for supporting the brands that support The Sarcastic Blonde!
and please know I only partner with brands I truly love and will always, always give a fully honest review!