Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Let's play dress-up

     Another check mark in the column of done for B and C's room.  This one wasn't on my original list, in fact the weird little corner of their room was to be transformed as a reading nook, but I knew this would be perfect for all princess dresses, tiaras, and royal jewels.

 
The basket holds all of their fancy party footwear.

 
Anyone say Karaoke?

 
Every Princess needs a mirror.

 
The dowel got treated to some gold spray paint.

 
See what I mean about an awkward space?  I think now this will be a fun and functional space.
 

Monday, February 24, 2014

Using attic eaves in old houses

     Ever notice how most old houses have these quirky little spaces?  When my house was originally built in 1929, it was built as 2 apartments.  My downstairs floorplan looks like most of the houses in the neighborhood with the exception that my stairway to go up is in the back of the house, whereas, my stairs to the basement are where the stairs leading up would have been like most of the homes in my neighborhood. 

     My upstairs floorplan is less than ideal for current living as a 1 family home, but made sense as an apartment.  My bedroom or the master is the largest room upstairs.  It was formerly the living room, and really does offer a lot of room as well as some quirky spaces like attic eaves.  Great for storage but wasn't looking so good.  I'm not entirely done with the space, I still have to give the back of the door a second coat of paint, and possibly attach a mirror to it.

 
 
Needs a second coat for sure.
 
I purchased Martha Stewart bead board wall paper for the interior walls and ceiling. 
 
 
I still have a back corner to finish and some painting on the opposite wall, where there is no dry wall.
 
 
The flooring is individual carpet tiles, and covers all of the floor.  It took just one box.  This area actually goes a little further back but I would have to crawl to get anything from the way back.  It just wasn't going to be useable space.
 
I don't have before pictures but let me show you how this space now functions.
 

 
I had all the California Closet systems from my last house.  This one on the left holds all of my ribbons, bows, boxes, and gift bags.
 

 
The middle one with the boxes hold all of my keepsakes.

 
This one on the left is my Husband's.  He's like the kids in respect to the fact he keeps a lot of junk. Sorry Honey :-)  You can see a peek of the wall in the back.  Still needs to get painted.
 

 
I stuck a basket back here, which now holds all of my wrapping paper as well as my left-over wallpaper.

 
I wallpapered the exterior of each of these little doors, just to give it a little something.
 
The skinny, tall door on the right is organized and labeled as well.  You will just have to wait for my final reveal of this room, *sigh* one day.
 
I also have some exciting news to share with you all.  On March 1st, I will be launching a second blog.  I'll give you a hint...it has something to do with my love/obsession with Pinterest. ;-)
 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Snow days make for interesting puttering days...

     The kids have a 5 day weekend, 2 of those days thanks to a whole lot of this.
 
 

 
 
I've heard we got 14 inches of snow.  I don't know if that's true or not.  My yard stick and I are happily staying indoors.
 
Despite my best efforts at keeping some semblance of order (note the cute basket, a Home Goods buy) near the front door for all wet stuff or items typically left on the floor, I have to accept the excitement of snow far outweighs any projects really getting done.
 

 
 
So, I spent time thinking about this wallpaper as a possibility for my hallway.  It's navy and white even though it looks a little black and white in the picture.
 
 
I added fabric scraps to my Ikea magazine holders.  You might recognize the fabric from this project.

 
 
 
Hmm, I'm just slightly hooked on this game.
 
 
But while I wait for my "lives" to add up, I do a little of this.
 
 
 
Left over fabric turned into hot glued pillows.
 
 
I need a lot of this to make it through the day.
 
I organized my coffee shelf (on the bottom), household medicine is kept up high and in child proof containers, also labeled as "Adult", "First Aid", "Bigger kids", and "For the little".  The top shelf has recipe cards/cookbooks, molds, and wine glasses.
 
 
Every time one of my kid's has a Doctor's appointment, I cut out the information with their weight and high light what dosage they can receive, I also put their name on it. I used some laminating paper and stuck it to the inside of the cabinet. The pocket contains several dosing sheets to keep track of which medicine, how much, and when, as well as whomever is in need of medicine.
 
 
While I bundled them up as well as a few extra kids and sent them  to conquer the landscape, I cleaned out and organized the cabinet that has my Husband's Grandmother's china.
 
Oh, and I um changed up my poor mantel, yet again.  This time with a roll of wall paper. 
 
 
He had to turn the power off first, and then take the sconce down.
 
 
 
 
I have no tips for hanging wall paper as we had to do this a couple of times.  I need to take a pin and "pop" some of the bubbles.  I'll paint it white (paintable wall paper), and then we are going to frame it.  I'd like to this year work on my fireplace.  We don't use it as my allergies are horrendous.  My thoughts are to create a decorative wood molding surround, maybe some tiling, and perhaps an electric insert.
 
 
 
 
 I love my faux deer head.
 
 
Now, I'm going to sit (children willing)  and drool over some of my favorite blogs.
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Various projects in the works....

     I started on a lot of various projects, as well as thinking about some new ones.  I made a decision to go in a different direction with the rug pattern in B and C's new room.  I really wanted stripes on their ceiling but realized it wasn't going to work out, so I thought the next best thing would be to purchase Dash and Albert pink stripe rug.  The problem is I purchased the Pottery Barn Kids Rugby pink striped duvet for both beds, and with the chevron wall pattern it would just be to much.  I found that Ikea and Target both carried a similar pink shag rug.  This is just a glimpse of it under a pile of 4 white curtain panels, clips, a huge bag of quilt batting, and the pink and white striped fabric I will be using to make 2 window pelmuts.

 
                                          A close up of the striped fabric.

 
The plywood is sitting in my dining room and has managed to make my whole downstairs smell like a lumber yard.
 
 
I fell in love with this Greek Key trim.  I purchased just a yard to test it out.
 
 
 
                                                
 
I fell in love with this HGTV fabric I found at Joann's.  I purchased a yard to test it out but it's looking like I'm going to make these into curtain panels for my dining room and living room.
 
 
I played around with some fabric remnants from my Ikea footstool.
 
In the end though, I think I might stick with my white bed skirt.
I created some new and simple art for the gallery wall.
 
 
My materials included a white frame, a white piece of paper, a pink Agate (found on Etsy), a hot glue gun, and my gold Krylon marker.
 
 
I used the marker to color around the border of the Agate.


I placed the white sheet of paper inside, but in the future I am going to swap it for a turquoise piece of scrapbook paper.  I hot glued the Agate to the plexiglass on the frame (no fancy glass on this frame).

     

Yup, I changed my bedroom art once again.  I found a use for the chipboard letters from Target.  I used my gold Krylon marker and just colored them in.  This one says "Love", the final reveal will come soon and you can see it finished there.
 

 
For my husband's side of the bed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Jumping on the faux fun bandwagon

     Last Friday night, no not the "Katy Perry song", but the actual night I decided on a whim to paint some bright and funky stripes above my fireplace mantel.  I made my poor husband go get the laser level out, while I went and looked for some paint brushes and painters tape.  I already had the paint, since I was using the white (I use every where), the original color on the wall, (which is a custom color), and the bright pink from the girls' room.  Let's just say, for 2 hours I went to town.....and my thoughts on it?  Well, um I don't like it.  I thought once I put everything back on and added my faux little deer head I would fall in love with it.  I didn't.  I still don't.  But, I'm not pulling on my hair and running from the room. I knew that even if I did like it, it was always going to be temporary.  No harm done, and if I hadn't painted it, then it would have just nagged at me.  It's just paint and yes, it does take a little bit of time and effort to put it up on the wall, but if it turns out not to be the look you were after THEN PAINT OVER IT.  The color of your dreams just might be a few paint chips over.  I was recently telling a friend that is a little afraid to take the plunge on color, that I've painted my hallway 5 TIMES.  I've gone dark, light, and in the middle.  It's been lots of different colors and sometime this year it will get a complete makeover, which means....yep a new color and maybe even a bit of wall paper.

                                      Here's where I started.

 
My big white square over the fireplace.
 
 
 
Decked out for Valentine's Day.
 
 
 
This part always makes me nervous.
 
 

                                       I think the pink might just be to bright.

 
I'm loving my little faux deer.  I have one with pink antlers in the girls' bedroom.
 


 
The final goal is to create this above my fireplace.  It's on my 2014 list, but in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy having some fun with it.  This weekend however, I'm painting it a solid color. :-)