Stripes in the Sewing Room

I remember the first time I entered my sister's house.  One of the first things I noticed was her striped wall in the living room.  The stripes were like nothing I'd ever seen before because they were all the same color, just different paint finishes: Flat and Semi-Gloss.  I love the contrast that was so simple.

Back when I was painting and re-arranging the basement (see here), a friend showed me the bathroom that the Petersik's painted. Here's their wonderful post and tutorial on their stripes.  I opted not to put them down there, but I just knew I had to put them somewhere.  

So here they make their appearance in my new Sewing Room! 

Pretty subtle right?  I just love sewing and ironing now, well not ironing.  I still have to work on that one.

Here's a peek at that corner to the right there. 

I'm so excited to finally have some stuff set-up in there.  That beautiful sewing table is from my Great Grandmother.  I feel so blessed to have it in my possession.  See, about 6 years ago, my parents had a garage sale and sold it because at the time I had no interest in sewing, nor did I have a place to keep it at college.  About a year ago they were helping their neighbors move and their neighbors gave it back to them! My parent's didn't even remember who'd bought it.

Anyways, it's definitely a beauty in the room. Now I just have to make room for my 1949 Singer that Hubby fixed up for me, and hang a bunch of art and other stuff on the walls.  So, what do you think so far?

Fall Decor

Fall is beginning to be my favorite season.  I love the jewel-toned colors, the warm scents, and the cozy blankets I bring out from our blanket box. I created a list of my favorite things for Fall, but unfortunately I wasn't able to splurge on any of those items, but I do see some DIY projects for the future.  This year I got some new flowers to brighten empty corners.  Here's some of the fall things you spotted around my house this year.  Seeing as it's November 30, my Christmas Tree and decor start going up tomorrow.  I'm pretty excited about seeing all the lights around the neighborhood, but that's another story.

Anyways, here's our dining room.  The table runner is from Crate & Barrel, so are the tea light candle holders as the centerpiece.  The orange tea lights are from Yankee Candle Company.  The black place mats are also from Crate & Barrel and are actually the backs.  The orange place mats I made last year and have fall leaves on the other side, but no one knew that!  I'm sneaky sometimes.

Joe had a good idea to put some flowers I'd gotten to coordinate with the table runner over here in the corner.  I thought it was a great idea and it looks fantastic and really finishes out the room.  I'm not sure if I'll ever move it. I might just rotate the flowers. These flowers are from Hobby Lobby and the vase is from Marshall's.  The frame I picked up on clearance at Bed Bath & Beyond and filled it with my favorite wedding pictures.

You saw this up in the dining room picture. I used contact paper, cut into shapes to give our door a frosted look.  I LOVE the way it turned out but it was a TON of work.  The windows next to this won't get the same treatment.  I think it'll make the room look to dark at night.

Here's another view of the dining room to view our finally completed photo wall and buffet decor.

Here's the little set-up.  The green vase I got from Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas.  The purple bowl is from Hobby Lobby.  The fake goards are from Jo-Ann's last year.  The vine ball is from Pier 1.  I made the runner for the buffet just out of linen from the fabric store.  It's the same color as the one on the table.

And here's our Photo Wall!  FINALLY! We've got a bunch of miscellaneous pictures and prints up there.  In the center we've got some scrapbook paper in Fall Theme, of coarse.  Starting to the right of the "S" and working clockwise we've got:
- Photo strips from weddings we've been to
- A picture of river rocks I took myself
- An image of the River Market downtown Kansas City from an old calendar we had laying around
- A picture we took during our vacation to Atlanta Botanical Gardens of a Lily Pad
- A sketch-up of our pooch, Daisy that my Hubby created on Picnik
- A piece of scrapbook paper
- A printable saying
- A Picture of a waterfall at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas
- A poem that came with the frame
- and finally, A picture of the pond at Forest park in St. Louis

We'll change out the three slot frame along the way.

Last but not least, here's our mantle and fireplace. Nothing fancy.  Just a cute little turkey hanging out there I picked up from Hobby Lobby.  I got the Owl from Nebraska Furniture Mart.  The Pumpkin from TJ Maxx, The leave garland from Jo-Ann's, The white vase from Target.  The candles and the holders are from Kohl's.

So Happy Fall Everyone!  Hopefully, you enjoyed my little fall decor tour.  What did you think of it all?

Weekend Warriors

I just LOVE weekends.  Not only because I get a break from the office, but also because of all the adventures that lay ahead. The only thing I don't like about the weekends is that Monday always comes too soon.

A few weekends ago, we actually had not a single plan on the calendar.  You know what that means: PROJECT WEEKEND!!!! I tend to refer to us in this situation as weekend warriors.  I got the urge to look up the Urban Dictionary definition of this and it cracked me up.  This weekend of course, was an epic weekend! Here's Urban Dictionary's definition:

weekend warrior a person who holds a regular job during the week which restricts their ability to party/go on trips/partake in awesome activities, and thus plans epic weekend adventures to compensate. As much variation and quantity of awesomeness is packed into the weekends as physically possible, warranting the rest of the work week to recharge for the next weekend.

So yes, the hubby and I "partook in awesome activities with as much variation and quantity of awesomeness packed into our weekend as physically possible".  Our standard Saturday morning routine includes letting the dog out, giving her breakfast, then laying in bed and discussing the plans for the day.  I was totally stoked when Joe suggested the first project on the list. Here's a look at the projects we worked on and their story:

Kitchen Cabinet Update

Our house was built in 2000. The cabinet style in that day (not so long ago) included a piece of trim over the sink connecting the cabinets on both sides. I've always thought it looked a bit funny and I told hubby a while ago that I really didn't like it and the main reason was that I wanted a pendant light where the can light is above the kitchen sink. I was so excited to get this project going!  Here's a picture of the kitchen before.

And here's the style I'm dreaming for: a pendant light, the spring curtain rod, rings holding the curtain....the cabinet color? not quite my thing. I'll stick with our oak.

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Here's the steps we took:

1. Hubby used a small pry bar like this one to remove the long molding piece along the front of the cabinet and the piece placed below the molding.  

2. We tried to remove as many of the old nails as possible.  This was really difficult and we ended up just breaking them off and hammering it as flat as possible on the wood so there wasn't a gap when we placed the molding back up there.

3. We measured the length of molding needed on the sides of the cabinets and marked where that would be on the long molding piece. Hubby used his miter saw to cut the trim to the proper lengths.  I must say figuring out the angle was a bit tricky, so be careful if you're trying this at home.  It's definitely a measure 8x, cut once kinda thing.

4. Joe reattached the molding pieces and puttied any areas that will need sanded and re-stained.  

5. Since Daisy HATES the compressor and the nail gun, we took a little trip to Lowe's to pick up a recessed can conversion pendant light kit to hang. During our trip to Lowe's I hit the jackpot.  I know I just went for 1 thing, but I left with with two more projectss.  When walking to the lighting section, I noticed on the clearance rack, a chrome 3-light vanity fixture (just like the one we've been looking for), and they were clearancing out a TON of fans (also, just what we've been looking for).  So convenient right?

6. We hung the pendant light fixture kit and LOVE the final product.  We've still got to match the stain to patch up some small spots, and update the curtain rod, but here's the almost finished project.

I made the curtain from some linen material.  I'm posting the tutorial soon, so watch for it.

Here's the breakdown:

• Small Pry Bar: $0
• Measuring Tape: $0
• Miter Saw: $0
• Nail Gun (and compressor): $0
• Stain (from Lowe’s): $8 (Still needs to be done)
• Pendant Light Converter Kit (from Lowe’s): $30
• TOTAL: $38

Guest Bathroom Light Fixture

As discussed above, the coming about of this project was due to the trip to Lowe's to purchase the Pendant Light Converter Kit for above our Kitchen sink.  We already replaced the cabinet pulls and the sink faucet, but couldn't really find a new light fixture to match the style.  Here's the before and after of the fixture.

Here's the breakdown:

• 3-Light Vanity Fixture (from Lowe's): $40

Basement Fan

Again, this project sprouted from the Kitchen Cabinet update with the Pendant Light Converter Kit.  The gold fan in the basement was really getting to me, especially after painting the room and rearranging the set-up. Here's the before and after in the room.

Here's the breakdown:

• Fan Fixture: $40

Entryway 

I was totally inspired by Jenna Sue's entry way art and coat rack so I thought I'd come up with my own version.  Her art work is wonderful.  I love the geometric patterns and the simpleness of it.

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I also really LOVE the idea of having knobs as coat hooks.  I really was inspired by these drawer fronts used as coat hooks.

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We've haven't finished the project yet, but we're about halfway there.  We'll be finishing it up soon and revealing our entryway soon!

Kennedy's Baby Quilt

I started this baby quilt a few months before the baby was due.  Before I was finished, a beauty came along.  There is a precious little baby girl that is so adorable, Kennedy Caroline.  She was born in July with some life threatening issues.  She is such a fighter and is now doing very well.  I was inspired to design a quilt from the breathtaking one below.

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I designed my own pattern to be the perfect size for baby Kennedy.  Over the weekend I finished quilting, then a few days ago I made the binding and completed the quilt.

I can't reveal it just yet.  I have to make sure that Kennedy and her momma get it first.  I'll post soon though.

I can't wait to see what this coming weekend has in store!

What projects are on your plate?

Blanket Box

Since we moved into our house and I started exploring blogland, I've wanted a bench of some sort at the end of our bed.  Our room is perfect for one, long and skinny.  I searched for an inexpensive blanket box or decorative bench at a few places on the internet.

Here's a few inspirational photos I discovered:

I love the idea of benches.  They look so elegant without looking too bulky.

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Here's kind of a combination style.  Upholstered and a chest perfect for storage.

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Here's an example of the traditional wooden blanket chest that I'm really imagining for the space.

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I found this one for $249 from Target, but the price is just a bit steep for me.

It was a typical Saturday morning and I was out searching garage sales for some wonderful finds. And then I saw it.....it was perfect! Well, not really.  It was pretty beat up, but I paid a whole $5 for it.  After cramming it in my car and getting it home, I immediately had regret.  What if Hubby can't repair all the cracked and broken pieces?  What if he doesn't want to re-finish it and stain or paint it? Within 15 minutes of wrangling it out of my car, my hopes of finally having a blanket chest were falling fast.  

So when Joe came home and saw the falling apart plywood he was less than pleased.  Then he found out I only paid $5 for it.  His opinion did a 180.  I was so excited I could barley contain myself.  I couldn't believe he was up for the challenge. 

A few weeks later we were out shopping at Lowe's for some other stuff when he dragged me over to the wood stain.   We took booklet of colors home and compared them to our bedroom furniture to see if we could find one similar.  I was amazed when we found an almost identical match! Minwax Red Mahogony.

Hubby labored a few hours to sand down the chest, stain it and poly coat it.  I'm so impressed with the turnout. He did a fantastic job and I LOVE the way it turned out.

It's perfect for our blankets, extra towels, and extra sheets.  See, we don't have a linen closet so our extra linens hung out in the guest bedroom dresser.  Now they have a new home in our wonderfully refinished chest.  What a beauty!

Here's the beauty in a close-up.

I think I'm in love!  Thanks Hubby for your hard work.  Our room is closer to being complete.

Cost Breakdown:

Chest: $5

Stain (from Lowe's): $8

Poly: $0 (already owned)

Foam Brushes (3: 2 for stain coats, 1 for poly coats): $1.50

Total: $14.50 definitely much less than the Target option.

State {of the} Art

Did you hear about the Pinterest Challenge that Katie over at Bower Power and a few others are doing? You MUST check out their video!  It made me laugh out loud for about 5 minutes. It's hilarious!

I decided to take it on because currently, I have 196 pins! Check out my Pinterest.

It was pretty easy to pick my project and I had everything I needed for it. (Thanks to finding Meredith's comment about her tutorial here)

I was wondering around Pinterest the a while back, saw this and was totally inspired. Joe and I have been looking for something to hang in our master bedroom above our nightstands for about 6 months now.

I fell in love with this beautiful (and genius) art!

I knew it'll be perfect for our bedroom and we already have the paint to complete it. Meredith over at "Welcome to Heardmont" posted her tutorial and it's pretty awesome.

I made two State {of the} Art paintings, Illinois and Missouri. We both grew up in the same area back in Illinois and we also wanted to mark where our home is right now, in Missouri. I used the leftover paint from when we painted our recessed ceiling.  The color matches perfect with our bedspread.  I could really use some work on the curtains in this room, but that's for later.

Here's our room Before:

The art turned out awesome! Meredith's tutorial was so helpful and great to follow, and it only took me about 30 minutes to do both of them! Here's our version:

We opted not to not put any hearts on ours for now.  This might change in the future, but we'll see.  I love them so much as they are.  Here's a picture of them hung up.

and then there were 9....(see my summer top 10 to-do list here.)

Linked at Bower Power's Pinterest Challenge Summer Edition and Hookin Up with HOH #60.

New Spice Rack

When we moved into our house we were greeted by a horribly ugly, homemade spice rack on the pantry door.  And man, am I talking ugly.  It had a sheet metal backing, 3 different woods, hot glue, and some type of expanding foam.  The guy who lived there before us seemed pretty smart and pretty equip with tools since we're assuming he installed the flooring in the basement and office, but this thing looked totally slapped together.  One day a few months ago one of the wood pieces holding the spices on the shelf started falling off.  Being down one shelf wasn't too bad since there was lots of space that we weren't using. That was until the entire thing started to come down.  YIKES!  I was too afraid that one day I'd come home to find all my spices on the floor of the pantry.  That didn't sound like too much fun to clean up so down it came. And I forgot to take before pictures, but it was kinda embarrassing.

Do you know how hard it is to find a hanging spice rack that's big enough and not too expensive?  But seriously, it was pretty hard.

We ended up going with the customizable White elfa Door system from The Container Store. The white matches the rest of the shelves in our pantry (secretly I would have loved the Platinum).  I love the different components we could choose to satisfy our needs.  We did spend quite a bit more than we'd originally planned, but the versatility and additional storage space was well worth it.  We now have more storage on the door than I'd imagined.  And when we want even more space, we can buy more baskets to add on.  This has been my favorite project so far!  It's something I see every day and it looks fantastic!

Now I just need to organize my pantry and probably re-paint it.

Patriotic Decorations

The thing I love most about decorating for Memorial Day is knowing that it gets to stay up until after 4th of July.  Since we've moved into our home almost 2 years ago, I've gathered a few items containing stars & stripes.

Almost every item on our buffet is an everyday item.  The white tray we received as a wedding gift and was just sitting in a box tucked away in a cabinet until now.  The lace framing the flag plate was something we purchased on our honeymoon.  It adds such grace.  The pitcher is something we use whenever we have company and fits right in. The candles can be seen around for some other holidays too, and might even be decorated accordingly.  See the picture's on the wall? Those I'll be blogging about later.  It's our photo wall.

I LOVE how our table turned out.  After watching some awesome videos here and here made by Sherry from Young House Love and Katie from Bower Power, I took notes and this is the result.  The great thing is that the only thing actually holiday specific is the runner and I snagged that from Kohl's after the holiday last year for a whopping $10.  I originally bought it for the buffet, but it was WAY too long so I threw it on the table.  It looks fantastic if I do say so myself.  Oh yeah and see that beautiful candle in the middle? Yup, that's the unity candle from our wedding.

Are you putting together any decorations?

Our Patio: Before & After

Upon moving into our house we began our list of projects.  Under our deck we had a bedding full of ivy.  Now I understand that some people think ivy is pretty but seriously?
1. It NEVER stops growing
2. You can't kill it
3. It grows like Crazy taking over siding.

There's many more reasons but I'm getting worked up just thinking about it.

So Joe and I ripped up the Ivy

We (and I mean Joe) dug down 6-inches to place about 4-inches of clean rock and about 1 1/2-inches of sand underneath our beautiful pavers.

The final product is amazing.  We already had the patio furniture which looks lovely on our newly finished patio.  Joe worked really hard and now we have a lovely place to relax. I can't wait to have a big BBQ to celebrate all our hard work!  There are more things to be added, like a way to hang my fern. And I'm thinking garden boxes....

Our Basement: Painting

Well, Joe was gone for 2 weeks in Guatemala and I decided to fix up our basement.  It was in desperate need of a new coat of paint and rearrangement.  After much deliberation, I decided on two different shades of a gray with blue tones.  I cut out pieces of paper on a small scale in the shape of the items that we had for out room: couch, pub table, two pub stools, beverage cabinet, coffee table, bookshelf, TV and dart board.  I arranged the items in a scaled room in order to figure out the best set-up.  My dad came for a few days to help me paint and get the room set up for Joe's big surprise. Here's the layout I came up with using http://www.planyourroom.com/:

The colors I chose for the room include two different shades.  Choosing this color all began when I had gathered a bunch of color cards to decide what color to paint our living room, kitchen and dining room.  I sneakily asked the hubby what color he would want to paint the basement if we painted the living room a neutral beige or tan.  He picked a blue gray color so I went with it. I picked a bunch of sample color cards up for similar colors and chose the best one for the room. I found the winning colors from Home Depot, BEHR Paint.

The room looks fabulous and I can't wait to finish it up with a new TV and sound system as well as all the decor hung up.  We're still working on a new couch, probably a reclining, black leather sofa.  I LOVE IT!

Our Master Bathroom: Before

This is the "before" of our master bathroom.  This will be a work in progress but hopefully in 1 year there will be an "after" picture to show.