Living Room Update Progress

I gave you a sneak peek last week of some of the updates in my living room, and today I’m sharing a little bit more with you.  I’ve been slowly transforming this room for what feels like forever, and it’s finally starting to feel more like home around here.  Here’s the view you saw last week:

Here’s what it looked like before…

This picture is actually after I painted over the mustard yellow walls – and I have yet to repaint that green trim.  One of my home goals this year is to finally tackle the trim-painting beast.  It’s not something I’m looking forward to,  but it’s long overdue.

All that paint talk aside, here’s how things are looking now:

We sold our leather sofa set on Craigslist and replaced it with the Ektorp chaise sectional from IKEA.  I really like this sofa.  It’s taken some getting use to for my hubby (not quite as cushy as the leather set), but he knows I like it so he doesn’t complain much.  Besides, part of the compromise was his very own man chair… yep, a recliner.

When he asked for a recliner I groaned… literally.  All I could picture was a gargantuan ugly La-Z-Boy from the eighties, so imagine my surprise when I found a recliner that was a normal size and was, *gasp*, pretty too!  This is the Franklin recliner from Plow and Hearth.  It’s gorgeous and it’s comfortable and Mr. home.made. is constantly fighting his three chicks for this chair!

The gallery wall of U’s behind the chair is a constant work in progress.  Do you know how difficult it is to find the letter U?  Seriously.  I find so many cute letters and there seems to rarely be a U.  Crazy.  Trust, us, a couple things I can’t spell without U.  Obviously these retailers don’t listen to the Biebs or they’d know what’s up.

I digress.

I shared my new reading corner with you last month.

And here’s one last view, looking into the kitchen area.

The wicker chair is IKEA, as is the little turquoise cart.  And I know you’re wondering about that fabulous rug, right?  It’s the moroccan trellis rug from Rugs USA and I got it during their 80% off sale during the summer.  It sheds like a friggin alpaca, but other than that, it’s great.  It’s thick and soft and gorgeous and I love the visual texture the pattern provides.

So there it is – our main living space and it’s little makeover.  I still have some things I want to do in here:

• Paint Trim White!!
• Find a smaller round coffee table (maybe glass with brass?)
• Sell coffee and side table
• ??Paint Computer Armoire
• Move in piano from my grandmother
• Plate wall above said piano :)

That’s about it… enough, right?

Hope you’re having a great start to your week.  I’m busy adjusting to my new job and working on last minute details for my 9 year old’s birthday party (in between soccer and softball)… can I get a nap please?!

Turquoise Desk Makeover for Little Girl

My youngest daughter has longed for a desk in her room ever since I did the Green Desk Makeover for her older sister.  Many months and Craigslist searches later, I was finally able to find a desk that fit my daughter and her room perfectly.  A little bit of elbow grease and some Annie Sloan Provence chalk paint later… and we have a turquoise desk for my litte girl.

This desk was listed on Craigslist but was actually housed in a multi-vendor antique mall, buried under all sorts of other vintage treasures.  It’s a Bassett desk from the 1960s and was in great condition, save for some damage to the desktop and some scratches.

I’ll admit it… this desk had me at spindle legs.

Seriously, aren’t they incredible?

After sanding the top and cleaning it well, I painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Provence, a gorgeous turquoise blue color that I have used on multiple projects in my home.  My youngest really likes to help mama with projects, especially painting, so I gave her a brush and her own tray of paint and let her go to town.  Chalk paint is very forgiving because you can sand it, so it was the perfect medium for my little’s brush strokes – any imperfections were simply sanded away before the top coat.

The hardware is all original to the piece and was in perfect condition as well.  I liked the contrast of the bronze and blue so I just gave it all a good cleaning before I reinstalled it. 

The spindle legs are still my favorite feature – it’s unusual to find a piece such a traditional piece with this type of leg.  (Please excuse the focus on these photos… my eight year old Canon rebel is starting to act up on me.)

Here’s another view of the turquoise desk in its entirety.  Tell me those legs aren’t incredible!  Pair it with a pink chevron wall and I’m smitten ;).

The desk actually has a coordinating hutch (see below) that goes on top but it felt a little too serious (especially with the eagle medallion) so I haven’t yet painted it.  I do like the additional storage it offers so maybe one day I’ll add it, but for now I’m happy with the desk as is.

My youngest is very excited for this new homework space in her room.  We’re still working on adding little desk accessories, but she’s already enjoying it for reading, writing, drawing and creating.  I imagine it will see lots of this activity in the years to come.

If you have any questions about the turquoise desk makeover, let me know and I’ll be happy to answer your questions!

Have you tried chalk paint yet?  Would you be brave enough to let your child help you with it?  I’d love to hear your experience!

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{My Sister’s House} The Turquoise and Yellow Bedroom

My sister lives in an amazing 1940s home in our hometown and she has infused every inch of it with charming vintage style.  She recently redecorated her back bedroom (which my girls lovingly refer to as “their” room) in a turquoise, yellow, and grey color scheme and it totally knocked my socks off, so she was kind enough to let me take pics and share with you!

The room gets a ton of natural light from from the windows that wrap around the far end – IKEA curtains filter the light to create a beautiful glow.  The blinds are original to the home – can you believe it?  They just don’t make ‘em like that anymore… *sigh*

The vintage metal beds were originally red – my sister repainted them in a metallic grey finish to go with the  new color scheme.  The yellow and grey sheets match perfectly and the turquoise throw and pillow throw in a fun pop of color.

Between the two beds is the Arles Yellow and Wood Vanity that I redid for my sister earlier this year, when she was just starting to think about this room makeover.  I added the turquoise knobs back then in anticipation of this!  Now that the mirror is in place, the vanity is even more beautiful.

The gallery wall above the beds and vanity is filled with fun sayings and anecdotes in an array of colors.  The “Think Happy Be Happy” art is my favorite – it truly sends the perfect message about this room and the children who are so blessed to get to stay here with their auntie.

I am so thrilled to get to share this fun room makeover with you – and I can’t wait to show you some more peeks into my sister’s house.  I know you will love it as much as I do…

Think Happy and Be Happy this Monday!

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Zebra Nightstand Makeover

I showed you the Green Desk Makeover for my daughter’s room redo, and now it’s time to show you another piece of the safari room adventure… zebra stripes, anyone?

This nightstand (and the matching dresser) were my first grown-up furniture purchases after getting my own place, when I thought that anything from Pottery Barn was wonderful.  I paid a pretty penny for these pieces, even over ten years ago.  You can’t see it in this picture, but the corner of this nightstand was lovingly chewed on by my beloved pug when he was a puppy.  I wasn’t happy with it at the time (Pottery Barn, remember?) but now that he’s gone, that little chewed area will never see a piece of sandpaper. 
I originally repainted these a light pink for my daughter’s big girl room when I was pregnant with my youngest.  I didn’t feel up to stripping through the pink paint and primer so I painted this with ASCP in pure white.  The stencil was traced with pencil and painted with the same color as the wall (Glidden’s Water Chestnut).  If you’re wondering why I traced with a pencil rather than painted with the stencil… it’s because I couldn’t get the knobs off (I ashamedly admit that I painted these on way back when!).  Cest la vie, right?

There’s a bit of dark wax rubbed on there, just to tone down the brightness of the Pure White paint.  See that green lamp?  I bought that well over ten years ago as well – and treated it to a couple coats of the same paint as the desk and a new burlap lampshade from Target. 

Tucked in the corner, it’s a fun little addition to this slowly-evolving room makeover.  It’s exciting as the little pieces fall into place – the desk, the nightstand, the whimsical DIY mosquito netting over the bed.  There’s a terrific thrifting find behind that netting too… just you wait!
I still have a dresser to repaint (still pink!) and want to change out her bedding, plus add some more wall art, but all in due time.  Small budgets equal slow progress – luckily I’m not in any hurry.

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The Number One Reason to Hire a Painter

After spending the past weeks tackling the task of repainting my office (and I'm still not finished!)... I have discovered the number one reason to hire a painter rather than doing the job yourself:

Cutting In!



photo source: TLC Home

In the complete paint overhaul of this room, I've primed, taped, painted the interior window edges and ceiling... and last night, I cut in around the edges of the room... and the doors... and around the large plantation shutter.  Let me tell you - although necessary, this is not the fun part of painting.  It's not the whole "look, I'm smiling as I roll on a pretty new color" part of painting.  It's the grunt work, people.

Today though, Mr Home.Made. will be doing that fun rolling on part while I'm away at work and I can't wait to walk in the door to take a peek.  It will be fabulous and refreshing and rewarding...

And then it will be time to tape and repaint all of the trim.

Got a number of a painter you'd like to share for my next paint project?!



The Point of No (Painting) Return

I've gone and done it.

I've begun the process of repainting my office, which means there is no turning back anymore.  Last night I layed out the dropcloths, moved furniture (and boxes - for shame!), removed switchplates, and got to work.

I got most of the room primed last night - I would've finished it all but the smell was starting to get to me.  I have only about 1 wall's worth left to prime and the ever-popular cutting-in step (yes, I'm doing it after I paint the walls rather than first).  I don't think I'm going to enjoy cutting in around the plantation shutter...

This room will be a complete paint makeover, as I'm not only changing the wall color, but will be changing the trim color as well and repainting the ceiling.

Sounds like fun, right?

This is the first time I've painted in a long time.  My hubby and I repainted nearly every room in our first home - and that was nine years ago!  I admit it - it was much easier accomplishing the painting before the two littles came along.  That's okay though - it's much more rewarding to enjoy a room remodel with these two cuties.

So next up?  Finish priming (maybe tonight)? and then paint that ceiling to prevent any drips onto my new gray walls...

If you're not doing anything, care to join me?!

Jungle Fever

I finally finished repainting Big Sis' vintage bed that I scored from a friend's garage sale... it's all set up in her room and she's loving it.  It's a full-size bed, and she loves that she has to climb into it!  Her previous bed was low to the ground and a twin size, so this bed is a big deal.

She picked out black/white zebra print sheets for her new bed, and I was already getting excited about a pink - black - white - grey color palette for her new grown up room.  Now that I got this spray-painting thing down, I was ready to get crazy with paint!

Enter the decorating dilemma... the girl wants a jungle room.  I'm talking a giant tree on the wall and vines from the ceiling (from which her stuffed animal lemur, monkey, snakes, etc. will hang), along with the blue sky and clouds her daddy promised to paint for her.

Mmm-hmmm.  Oh yes he did.

I'm a little miffed, cause I've already been pretty lenient by allowing a snake-size aquarium in her room to house her russian tortoise and a smaller aquarium for the assortment of frogs and lizards she rescues.

*sigh*

The thing is, she is so excited about the jungle idea, and it really is fitting for her.  She's our own little version of Bindi.  So I need to figure out a way to make this work for all of us... here's a few ideas:

Source: travel.spotcoolstuff.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

A little inspiration straight from the Sahara...

Source: None via Kelsey on Pinterest

Love the idea of the white netting flowing into the bedding...

Source: cardboardsafari.com via rhonda on Pinterest

This is just cool.  Maybe this could go in my room?!

Source: csnstores.com via rhonda on Pinterest

Wall decor I can live with - the removable kind.

So that's a start... we'll see what transpires over the next month or so.  Any ideas?!



Inspiring Spaces

When we moved into our house in November, I was at the point where I just wanted to be moved in and didn't feel like messing with all of the decorating details.  Problem is, six months later, I'm ready for the details.  Where to begin?  I was thinking my office/craft room, but instead, I think I'm ready to get my big girl her own little getaway.  Here are some of the spaces that are inspiring me...

Love this gorgeous white on white room...

photo credit: Dreamy Whites Blog

A reading nook like this would be so fun!



photo credit: Country Living



She would love a fluffy little stepstool... yeow!



photo credit: HGTV.com

Love this idea for spice racks turned bookshelves.  Perfect for aforementioned nook...



photo credit: ohdeedoh

Now that I've got my inspiration... it's time to start the makeover and being the treasure hunt for the perfect decor items.  I'm doing this on a budget so I'm hoping to be able to score some deals or find some items secondhand.  Stay tuned!