Bedroom Changes

Designing a nursery has posed some challenges like

Where will guests sleep if they stay over (since this was a spare bedroom)?

and

Where will we put all of that STUFF that is currently in the closet? (pictures of that crazy closet coming soon!)

Remember, we live in a little Cape Cod style home with just three bedrooms, which is why we were originally planning to move.

But then, after some structural problems with the home we were about to buy, and a deep love for this house, we decided to stay.

After all, people have raised kids in smaller quarters, right?

We're already thinking about how we could add an addition onto the house for our growing family, but that's a long-term plan.

Anyway . . . one of the challenges was what to do with the bedding we had purchased for the spare room.  Maybe you remember it . . .

I really loved the cozy cottagey look of it.


(For those of you who've asked, it's Nautica and I bought it on clearance last year at Bed Bath and Beyond.)

So I decided I'd incorporate it into our bedroom, which is

about to get a little makeover of its own anyway.

I'm loving all the pillows!

Instead of using the quilt as the entire bed covering, I just folded it and placed it at the end
because I love my white comforter cover.  I like that the matching bedding is broken up a little now.

I'm still debating if we should use the headboard from the spare room in our room too. The problem is, our room is so stinkin' tiny that I am trying to reduce the amount of furniture to make it feel more spacious.

See that nightstand over in the corner?  I HATE the color.

Here's a closer look:

The drawer pulls have to go too.  I'm not feeling the brass.

And of course, all the clutter that's lying on top of the nightstand needs to go too. 

The old school alarm clock will be gone and the fan just might get replaced too.

Getting rid of the fan all together is not an option.  If you missed why, click here.

We have an entire set - two dressers and a nightstand all in dark cherry.  It's just too dark for such a small space.    We used to have a king sized bed to match, but thankfully, we sold that beast on Craig's List last summer to create more room.

Look at how terrible it looked. I cannot even believe I am going to post this picture.

Everything is wrong here . . .

The curtains -- soooo dark (and sloppy for this picture!)

The wall hanging . . .

The way the bed is made  . . . 

The sloppy pillows . . . .

Uggh . . . it's all terrible (except I do like the Pottery Barn bedding . . . just a little too much burgundy going on here).

So with the giant bed gone, there are plans to refinish the nightstand and dressers soon . . . I'm still debating on color.  I was thinking of white, but it might be a little too feminine for Jason so maybe a distressed/antiqued light gray?  We're open to suggestions.

Until then, you'll have to wait and see. 

Right now, the old Coupon Cowboy has come down with a nasty virus

--- fever and all ---  

so he won't be refinishing any furniture this weekend.

He did manage to clip some coupons this week though and he seemed pretty excited about

whatever it was that he found.   I'll keep you posted if it's anything exciting.

Until then, he's not enjoying the comforts of that wonderful bedding and all of those fluffy pillows. 

He's retreated to the couch so baby and I don't get sick :-(

Should I be offended that Maggie has chosen to go and sleep with him on the couch?

Guest Room Re-design

A few months ago, I decided we were going to give our guest room a face lift. 

What originally began as a full-room makeover was halted when we decided to sell our house and move out to the country.

The room still made it through a re-design, but not as drastic as we originally intended. 

When we first bought our house, this room looked like something from the Barney cartoon.  The window sills were painted purple and dark green.  Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of this room when we first moved.

This was the room that Imani, Jason and I all slept in for the first several months after we moved.  The house was in such disarray that we moved both of our beds into this room while Jason worked on the upstairs bedrooms.  Nothing brings a family closer together than sharing a bedroom for a few months!   Let's just say that we could never be a "family bed" kind of family.

The guest room also was a place of refuge for a good friend who lived with us for a month while she separated from her husband.  At that time, it had a single bed and Dora the Explorer bedding.  It has certainly come a long way.

Somewhere along the way, we bought shiny bedding from TJ Maxx and decorated with dark browns.  We used to have a thing for anything shiny.  I didn't realize it until my sister pointed it out to me when she came to stay with us one Christmas. 

Our bedding was shiny,  our shower curtain was shiny, and a number of other things were shimmery and shiny throughout our house. 

Anyway, here is the room as it was before the redesign in all its shiny glory:

The computer/office area was also housed in the guest room before we created the office nook under the stairs.  It was a major mess with the printer just sitting on the floor!

The main goal in the re-design was to lighten everything up and make it feel more welcoming for guests.

First, we changed out the light fixture.

We replaced this:

With this:

When Jason first hung the light, he wasn't sure he wanted to include all of the light's "female parts" (his word for all of the chandelier's crystals), but now that the chandy has been up for a while,   I think they've grown on him.

We moved the desk, computer and accesories out and created a new office nook under our stairs, which I hope to reveal soon.

We replaced the dark brown curtains with lighter, white ones, which were purchased at Target.  We also pulled out the old shutters that were in the basement, gave them a fresh coat of paint and put them back on the window.  

A word about the curtains:

I was stressing out about what kind of curtains to buy when, one night when I was quilting with my friend Claire and Jason called me because he found the perfect curtains at Target.

Claire was in disbelief . . . "Seriously, your husband shops for curtains?!"

Yes, he is a keeper.  To all the single ladies out there -- pick a guy who actually cares about how your house looks!

See that picture on the left?  That is the fireman's certificate from 1890 that we found in the house.

 

In the corner, I propped up the mirror I bought and some of our antiquing/junking treasures.  The nightstand that we got from Sally Ann's is placed next to the bed.  The iron wall-hanging was spray painted white.

The bed was given a fresh coat of white paint and we purchased new bedding from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

One more time:

Before

AFTER

 

The Question of a House's Legacy

One good thing about moving is that it makes you clean out your house and re-evaluate all of the things you've collected over the years.   Sometimes, you come across stuff that's been stuffed away and stored and you realize, it should be displayed. 

Recently, when Jason was cleaning out our garage, he came across something that was left in this house as part of the estate when we bought it.

Originally, we tried to donate it to a historical library, but at the time, the library was renovating and said they didn't have room.

We're kind of glad, because it is a really cool piece and Jason decided to dust it off and hang it in our guest room.

It's a certificate of service for a person named E.R. Aldred for the Horseheads, NY fire department dated March, 1890.

We have no idea who this is, or why it was left in our house.  Our house was built in the 1940s, and, to our knowledge, no one with the last name of Aldred owned the property.

Nonetheless, it's an interesting piece of local history, so we decided to hang it proudly in the guest room.

As I've mentioned before, our house was filled with remnants of someone else's life.  It was really sad, actually.  Prior to closing, the deceased woman's children came through and took what belongings they wanted to keep. 

I was saddened by their choices.  They left boxes of their mother's poetry, love letters, books and tons of other sentimental items and instead, they chose to keep objects that had more monetary value - like pieces of solid wood furniture. 

I spent countless hours reading the journals and books of poetry that were left behind.  I found joy in piecing together who this woman was and what meaning her life had, yet at the same time I struggled with reading the writings at all, fearful of violating this woman's personal thoughts and feelings.  

She was a peace keeper -- a lover of animals and of life.

So I struggle with the question one of my dear blogging friends, Deborah from The Fairfield House posted yesterday to my blog.  She wrote:

"Stephenie, There are pieces here that we feel belong to the house and not to us. So, if we ever decide to leave, they will remain. Are you going to leave something that you found behind? Imagine what you will discover in your new old house!"

I understand what Deborah means in that houses have a life and history that go beyond their owners.  But I struggle with the thought of leaving some of the wonderful belongs behind -- not so much because I cherish objects -- but because I feel a desire to protect what was so freely discarded before.

What if the new owners throw away this woman and this house's history because they don't see it "fitting in" with their decor?

What about all of you? Have you found treasures in homes you've purchased?  Do you feel the desire to keep and preserve them or leave them as part of the house's legacy?

Guest Room Lamp

The consensus was that the burlap lamp shade that I found at the Salvation Army for my guest room lamp had to go.  Most of my readers either told me directly or sent me an email saying they didn't like the burlap lamp shade.

I love honesty, so thanks.

I liked the texture of the lamp shade, so I wanted to try to save it somehow.

First, I decided to spray paint it white.  It took several coats.

Next, I took some of the left over fabric from the folding chair that I refinished and cut two strips.  I carefully glued these pieces onto the lamp shade at the top and the bottom, tucking and gluing the ends in as I went along.

And here is my new lamp shade.  I hope you like it more than the plain brown burlap.

Linking to:
Trash to Treasure, Transformation Thursday, Show Off Your Stuff, Strutt Your Stuff Thursdays, White Wednesdays, I'm a Creative Cat, Frugalicious Fridays, Finished For Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Show N Tell Friday

Addicted to Oars

A few weekends ago, Jason found an oar he loved at an antique store near our house.  I checked out the price tag: $50. 

"No way are we spending that much money on an old oar," I said matter-of-factly.

Since I am in sales and I have a very large territory I often come across antique stores on my lunch hour or on my way home that I would have never discovered if I didn't have a job that requires so much travel.

I remembered seeing old oars at an antique shop about 45 minutes from our house.  They were only $20.

So last Friday, on my way home from work I stopped at this little shop and was happy to see that the three oars still remained.  Two were red and one was a grayish blue.

I snagged the grayish-blue one.  I loved that it was all chippy and still had the hardware on it.

When I got home, Jason went to work figuring out how to hang it.

First, he put one screw at each end of the oar.

Next, he put wire around the screw to form a loop so that it could hang on the wall.

When he was done, it looked like this:

We decided to hang it above the window in the guest room. 

 

Now Jason wants me to go back to the antique store and buy the two other oars.  In typical addict fashion, one oar isn't enough.  He wants to decorate with a bunch of oars.

Actually, now that we got the computer out of the guest room and into the new office nook (which was a closet), there is a lot more space in the guest room and there is a big wall with nothing hanging on it.  Three oars hanging in a vertical row might just look nice.

And I can get all three for only $10 more than we would have gotten one! 

Let's hope somebody else didn't snag them before I get there.

Easter Eggs, Home Tour and Closet Office

I'm so excited for the weekend.  For one, it's Easter, which means tonight we will be coloring Easter Eggs. I will have a vision of a fabulous egg that I've designed free-hand without any fancy stencils or decals.  I'll just use a crayon and old fashioned food coloring and vinegar, just like my mama taught me when I was a kid.

In my head, my egg is going to be fabulous, like one of Martha Stewart's creations:

Instead of my fabulous piece of art on an egg, I'll end up with a big melted mess from the crayon (I'm always too impatient to wait for the eggs to cool), dipped in a color.  Then, I will become jealous because Jason's egg will look like something that belongs in an art gallery.  I will take this opporunity to remind everyone that Jason originally went to school on scholarship for illustration before switching his major to Art History.

I am inspired by these coffee-dyed eggs from 504 Main though, so maybe there is hope for me this year.

Other than coloring Easter eggs, we will be looking at a new house!  I'm not getting too excited because I have become quite picky in selecting a new home.  For one, this house is NOT out in the country with a lot of land, so the whole idea of getting chickens is out of the question.  However, this house is for sale by owner, and is coming HIGHLY recommended by Kelby.  If you've been following my blog, you know how we feel about Kelby around here.  He is never wrong, so when he suggested we look at it, we jumped at the opportunity. 

The other reason we're not getting too excited is because this house is located in a pretty fancy schmancy area around here.  Most of the homes are big and ornate, rich with intricate detail, old wood and brick.  I am sure this is probably one of the smaller homes on the block and I'm sure we probably won't be able to afford it anyway!  But, I am still super psyched about going to look at it. 

My mother was a real estate agent when I was a kid and I always liked when she let me tag along so I could look at all the homes that were for sale.  I am always thrilled to look at other people's houses, so the fact that this is on the agenda this weekend makes me happy.

Finally, we have come to a road block with the guest room renovation.  The problem is that this room also serves as an office and I hate the way the computer and all of its accessories look.  I considered getting an armoir of sorts to hide it, but have been unsuccessful in my search.  Plus, the room is pretty small and I think adding any more large furniture would make it look crowded.  We already have that crowded look going on in our bedroom, so I don't want to make the same mistake in the guest room.

My solution is one that Jason has been resisting, but honey . . . if you're reading this . . . it is happening this weekend.   I want to turn the closet that is under the stairs of our Cape Cod home into a tiny little office.  It already has a light and electricity in it and it's certainly big enough to fit a computer and printer.  It would solve my dilemma about electronics and I am confident we can make it look nice.

I would take a picture of the closet, but it's really crowded with stuff and I'd be embarrassed for you, dear reader, to see my hoarding problem.  I will post it on my before and after photos, I promise.

In the meantime, here are some closet-turned office pictures that will hopefully inspire!

http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/

DIYideas.com

Apartment Therapy

Finally, I hope there might be time to go check out a store I just discovered here in town that sells recycled building materials, like claw-foot bathtubs, antique lighting etc.  We didn't get to go treasure hunting last weekend, so I hope we can squeeze it in between looking at the house and taking Imani to a rock and mineral store that she's super excited about.

Sunday, we'll wake up to the happiness that the Easter bunny brings and head off to church.  Imani asked last night how the Easter bunny is connected to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Jason had some interesting answers, but I just smiled and asked her what she thought. 

She said she wasn't sure but that the Easter bunny has to be real, right, even though it seems ridiculous?!

Happy Easter.

Treasure Hunt Stench

The other day, when I was on my way home from work, I spotted a place out in the boondocks with lots of rusty junk piled all around the outside of the building.  Feeling like the guys from American Pickers, I immediately pulled in to see if I could score anything good.  It didn't matter to me that it was muddy out and I was rocking some three and a half inch heels and a business suit.   

It turns out that this place was actually an auction, but the owner lets people root through the junk during the weekdays and offer him prices.

When I first entered, I thought about turning back and leaving because of the overwhelming smell of cat urine.  There were four cats visible, but from the overpowering smell, I suspected more were lurking behind old treasures.  As I eyed all the piles of stuff, I decided I could bare with the smell just for a few minutes until I scoped the place out.   

Have you ever had something in mind that you were determined to get and then you actually found that perfect item?  I knew I wanted a new mirror to hang in the guest room for our redesign.  It had to be hung vertically and had to have feminine lines.

Here, among the putrid smell, I found it.  Can  you believe I actually picked it up and smelled it just to make sure one of those cute little fuzz balls didn't decide to use it as a litterbox?

We're not sure if we are going to keep the wood or paint it white. 

I also found this tray:

And this old iron. 

I'm so glad I dealt with the smell.  Ahhh the things we will do in our treasure-hunting adventures!

By the way, I'm sure by now, you've heard about Matthew Mead's holiday book-azine.  I am so excited for it!  Head over to Holiday with Matthew Mead to find out how you can win the opportunity to have your blog or online shop mentioned in the magazine. Holiday with Matthew Mead is a "book-azine" celebrating and offering inspiration for the Christmas holiday season. To be released in October 2010, Holiday is offered via online orders only - in limited quantities - and will not be sold on newsstands. But, by simply following the BUY HOLIDAY MAGAZINE link below their banner, you can reserve your own copy of this beautiful magazine, with guaranteed delivery of the magazine straight to your mailbox! Holiday with Matthew Mead is144 pages of holiday inspiration with well-known and admired designers, bloggers and top-notch features, printed on beautiful paper and not drowning in ads!

Now, head on over for your chance to win!

http://southernhospitalityblog.com/

Guest Room Re-design Teaser

BEFORE

AFTER

Have a great weekend!

Shabby Chic Nightstand

One of the projects we have going on is to re-design our guest bedroom, so this weekend, Imani and I took a little trip to our local Sally Ann's (Salvation Army) to see if we could find anything to go with the new look.

We found a couple of great Easter-related items that will (hopefully) fit into our Easter Tablescape.  Here are a few of the things we found:

A couple of wooden candlesticks for $1:

This grubby duck who is in dire need of a fresh coat of paint (99 cents).

A grubby little bunny who also is in desperate need of a coat of paint (99 cents).

A lamp shade for a lamp I got a few weeks ago from Hub's place.  I was really excited to find this little shade for only 50 cents becaues that means, the total cost of my lamp for the guest room redesign was $1.50.

Just when I was thinking we were done I came across this lovely gem of a nightstand.  I was psyched because Jason and I had been searching for a night stand for the guest room re-design for a few weeks now.  I was beginning to lose hope, until I scored this for $25.

I fell in love with the size and shape of this nightstand and I liked the handles.  All it needed was a fresh coat of paint (doesn't that usually solve everything?!) 

I was hoping Jason would like it as much as I did.  I stopped at Home Depot to pick up a can of white paint.  This is where the stress set in.  There are soooooo many shades of white to choose from!  I settled on Valspar's Honeymilk because it was a creamy white, which I think will look nice with the new look we're going for.

By now, Jason is used to me bringing new projects home for him every weekend.  And everyone wonders why our upstairs bathroom isn't complete yet . . .

Jason liked the night stand as much as I did, so he primed it, painted it and then brought it to me with some decisions to make. 

Did I like the inside where the handle is blue or white?

Can you guess my answer?

Did you guess blue?

Or did you guess white?

Or did you guess another color?

I chose blue BUT . . . not that shade of blue.  Although I really think that shade is lovely, unfortunately, it clashed with the bedding I've selected for the re-design so it had to go. 

So we selected a shade of blue that is darker and here is the finished product.  Notice that $1.50 lamp sitting on top!  We're still not sure how we feel about the lamp shade, but it was only 50 cents so it won't be a big deal if we change it.  I just liked that it added an element of texture to the room.  Thoughts???? 

So the guest room is coming along nicely!   We have to figure out what to do with the computer area (it also serves as an office).  I think electronics are not aesthetically pleasing.  I prefer to hide them in cabinets or closets, so we'll see what we come up with.  

What do all of you do to incorporate computers, televisions and other electronics into your decor?

Linking up with Faded Charm's White Wednesday's Party.