LET THE SUNSHINE IN

After taking the sheers down from our bay window, I was eager to let more light in to our house.

While sitting down for dinner one night, my eyes began to wander 

and they eventually landed on the bamboo blinds hung in our kitchen/dining room window.

This is wat they used to look like this.

And now, after moving them up to hang just beneath the curtain rod....

Such an easy change for a dramatic difference.  

First, it lets it in a ton more light and second, it makes the window appear much larger than it really is. 

Definitely should have corrected this mistake a long time ago.

Who thinks I should add a rug here?

Sorry honey, looks like my wandering eye is at it again.

No commentsRead more

DEALING WITH A DESIGN DILEMMA

When I asked for help last week with a design dilemma, you guys did not disappoint.  

I received many comments with some great ideas.  

I still love the idea of adding a fiddle leaf fig tree here,

but until I brush up on my indoor gardening skills,

I have filled the corner with the table that was in front of the bay window.

Here's a wider angle of the new and improved corner.  

I also made another small change by removing one of the pillows from the backs of the love seats.  

I have a love hate relationship with these love seats.  

I used to love them, now I hate them. 

The arms are too bulky, the floral pattern on the fabric is not my favorite 

and they are quite worn from my children using them as trampolines.

I do not hate them nearly as much after removing one of the giant back pillows. 

They used to look like this. 

And a reminder of how lonely the corner looked before the table moved in. 

Ahhhh, much better, even if it a temporary solution. 

I also addressed this area.

I took down the sheers.  When we originally renovated the house, we did not replace this giant window.  As soon as we moved in, we realized that was a huge mistake.  After making all the other improvements and having everything freshly painted, the giant ugly window stuck out like a sore thumb.  Three weeks after moving in, we replaced it.  I had added the sheers to mask the ugliness of the original window and even after replacing it, I put them back up.  We get a ton of afternoon sun in this room and I was afraid the furniture and rug would fade quickly.  When I realized our windows are made from a Low E glass I realized the streaming sunlight wouldn't be as big of an issue as I had thought.  Down went the sheers and I am kicking my self for not doing this a long time ago.  I love the extra light we get in here now and if the brightness is a problem, I will just pull them shut a bit.   

I also brought back in the dark stained table that was originally there. 

I think I will paint it glossy black or dark charcoal. 

You can see on the left where I am playing around with some trim options. 

I pinned up some trim I had on hand.  The first option is a navy/charcoal trim.

I also happend to have some deep blue velvet ribbon in my stash and I tacked some of that up.  

I am loving this one.  What's your vote?

At dinner tonight, I was intently staring at the windows in the kitchen.  

My husband got scared and immediately inquired about what I was planning. 

You'll have to wait and see......

No commentsRead more

CLOSET REVEAL

It turns out that I don't really need a deadline to get things done, the fact that my house literally falls apart when I take on a project is enough motivation for me to get it done!  

I'll start with the pretty pictures and then delve into the ugly truth in another post. 

Now, for the pretty pictures, here is the new and improved closet....

It all started with this $5.00 vintage lantern I found at the thrift store. 

I added the wire baskets for more storage.  

I already had the corduroy bins and they hold purses, hats and a few summer items. 

I ended up purchasing the wire hangers wrapped in velvet.  I bought them at Homegoods. 

They take up less space and there is zero chance my clothes are slipping off those babies.  

I picked up this brass tray at a junk/antique store our on Christmas adventure trip.  

I loved it at first sight and it's perfect for corralling more jewelry.  

I love the fact that is is tarnished, old and imperfect. 

The plate is from Pottery Barn, the frame is from Homegoods 

and the little black box if from the thrift store.

I framed the poem "Footprints" and added it to the closet.  

A very good friend gave me this poem a few years ago when I was going through a rough time. 

I love that I can start each day being reminded of this great message. 

I have been mulling over ways to use these antique doorknobs we inherited with the house. 

 I was thinking of using them as hooks, but for now, I kind of like them on display. 

Last night, I stopped in Hobby Lobby and picked up these knobs for the dresser.  

I took most of the pictures yesterday afternoon sans the knobs. 

The screws were silver and I added a hint of Rub N' Buff to the tops of the screws. 

I just couldn't help myself. I haven't Rubbed N' Buffed anything in about a month. 

Next to my new jewelry display, I have a mom bulletin board.  

I like to hang special things my kids make/give me here. 

It's just an old blank canvas covered in some fabric. 

The stripes turned out great (the second time around, that is).  

I ended up painting the entire wall Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige 

and then did the stripes with Sherwin Williams Sea Salt. 

Here's a shot without the light on.  I love the lantern, but it casts some strange shadows in there. 

The dresser got a coat of cream paint and now blends in much better with the rest of the closet.  

Ahhh, all finished!  Sure felt good to scratch this makeover off the list. 

Just to remind you, this is how the closet looked last week.  

And this was my inspiration board.

I'll share the valuable lesson learned tomorrow.  

For now, I am going grab a cup of hot tea, my kindle, 

hang out in my closet and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Kidding, maybe!

Sharing with:
Savvy Southern Style
Miss Mustard Seed
Home Stories A2Z
Delightful Order

No Minimalist Here
At the Picket Fence
Shine Your Light
Eclectically Vintage

No commentsRead more

GETTIN' BUSY

Since it looks like the rain, snow and cold are finally settling in here, I will most likely be bombarding you with projects around the house. I tend to get a tad antsy this time of year since we are stuck inside.

First up, the closet makeover.

Yesterday I purchased the wire baskets and I investigated the hangers.  I brought home some of the wire hangers that are covered in velvet.  If I end up using them, I need to get my hands on 125 more.  

I was originally planning to buy the wooden hangers from Ikea, but when I ran across the ones covered in velvet, I thought they seemed like a great option.  Clothes sliding off the hangers is a bit of a problem in our closet and I think it would be even more of a problem with the wooden hangers. 

Velvet versus wooden - what's a girl to do?  Any advice?

I also finished turning the old window into a jewelry display.  It was quite the process.  

It started out looking like this...

And now it looks like this....

The first thing I did was take it outside and break out the glass with a hammer.  It was exhilarating! 

I did get a few strange looks from a neighbor. 

Next I used metal cutting scissors (very technical term) to trim the wire backing to size. 

The backing is from an old fireplace screen that was here when we bought our house.

After that, I attached the wire backing to the back of the window with small "U" shaped fasteners.  

I added some "S" hooks that I purchased at Lowe's to hold the bracelets and earrings. 

I also added cup hooks at the top for the necklaces. 

I bought this old window from an outdoor antique show years ago.  

I was never quite sure what to do with it.  

So glad I finally found a use for it.  

I was feeling ambitious today and I tackled the stripes. 

I mixed it up a little with the colors and I love the way it turned out.

 I will show you next week. 

The only thing left to do is to paint the dresser.  

Since I loathe sanding and priming, I am thinking of either making my own chalk paint 

using Carmel's instructions or maybe biting the bullet and ordering some Annie Sloan chalk paint.

So it appears that having a deadline for finishing a project is just what I need.  Go figure!

How about you, does a self imposed deadline work for you?

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Sharing with:
Savvy Southern Style
AKA Design

No commentsRead more

DINING ROOM REVEAL

I finally have a reveal for you.  This dining room got a complete overhaul.  

Brace yourself for picture overload. 

The walls were painted a beautiful shade of blue (Benjamin Moore Smoke)

 and wainscoting was added to the room.

New curtains were added. 

We added some art from Homegoods and two wine racks from Ikea.  

We opted for this nice thin console from Ballard Design 

and then added the mirror, lamps and some fun accessories. 

These prints were ordered from Etsy and the frames came from Ikea.  

They add just the right pop of color the room needs 

The dining room chairs were painted black and recovered in a lovely green fabric.  

A pillow from the same fabric was added to the entry bench.

A new light fixture is the focal point of the room. 

We added this fun bulletin board above the bench.

I made it using this great tutorial from Emily at Jones Design Company.

Just to remind you, this is what the room looked like before we started. 

My client is thrilled with the outcome and she is looking forward to showing off 

the new dining room to her family when she hosts Thanksgiving dinner next week. 

Here is the design board I created for the dining room. 

If you are interested in having me help create a beautiful space in your home, contact me here for details.  

Hope you all have a great weekend.  We will be in full Thanksgiving prep mode here. 

No commentsRead more