Downstairs...of Horrors!

So this is the living room. I know - it's very sad. Go ahead and cry.

 I've removed the lovely brass frame from around the gas fireplace and it looks much more hearth-like without it. It's a long room - the dining room is directly to the right in this pic, the big front window and door to the left. The room you can see through the door is a sort of sun room that we are making an office. It's below.

Those doors look out into the backyard via the pergola -covered patio.There's a gas heater that I want to turn into a gas fireplace. You can see it on the right of the pic. The ceiling was covered in horrible foam-cardboard-y tiles that I popped off and found beadboard underneath. Yay! A few hours of prying out staples and the ceiling was ready. This room is fun, but FREEZING! When it warms up, I'm sure I'll be in there all the time.

This is from the living room looking into the dining room. Love the archway, but behind those hideous curtains are TONS of cracks in the plaster. We've patched it all, and I am painting it this weekend... I think. 

This is the full-on dining room shot. The chandelier is actually covered in tiny bunches of grapes - super tacky - but it looks alright from a distance. The carpet is up to reveal the wood floor. The kitchen is through the little door on the right.  

This pic (below) is the other end of the living room. Front door is immediately to the right.

Because the kitchen is out of commission, the dining room is full of kitchen boxes and I have a slight urge to cry when I walk in there. But hopefully, with a coat of paint and a little more elbow grease, we'll be set. Hopefully...

Scary Kitchen

If you've ever read this blog before, you know I like cheerful kitchens. That knowledge should make this kitchen doubly horrifying.

Now this first picture might not seem so bad, but know that the counter in front of the window is only about as deep as a toaster oven. Apparently it was shortened to make space for the dishwasher.








This is the counter just next to it. Notice the maroon wallpaper with fluffy teal trees interspersed with geese wearing bows. (more close ups of wall paper later)

 Here's the whole room shot. That's my husband and daughter in the middle. The ceilings are high, just over 9 feet, and the sad ceiling fans come with. Those cabinets are solid wood, form the very bottom all the way to the ceiling is just one long piece. The floor is brown porcelain tiles. they are very slick, as I learned last week when I stepped on a fallen cookie sheet and slid all the way down until I met said tiles with my derriere.

The floor is so patterned and brown that you can't even see what you're sweeping, you just keep going in the same direction and hope you're getting it all.

Here's the best part! Just next to the kitchen is what used to be a hallway and is now a hallway AND a bathroom! Talk about multi-tasking! That doorway leads to the half bath (which you can see) and to the left is a door to the basement and a door leading outside to the side of the house.

This is the view when you come in the side door. Literally. You open the door, and this is what you see. At least you don't have far to go if you've been holding it in the car!

Big New Adventure

So we just bought this. --> 

As an impulse purchase at an auction. It took us a year and a half to choose a CAR, so this was a little out of character for us. 

It's a 2300 sq. ft. English country style house with a lot of Tudor-style architecture. We absolutely love the style and the outside of it, but the inside is a total wreck. We are remodeling it slowly on our own, and so far it has been equal parts exhilarating and stressful. Take a look. 

It's full of interesting details like the arched front door here. It has a knocker and a little window covered in shutters that can be opened from the inside. It's very Keebler elves.

There's also this on the side of the house...

And this super fun gate on the other side...  

And there's a window box. I LOVE window boxes!

This gorgeous attic will (hopefully one day soon) become a kick ass Peter Pan-style nursery for the kids. 

I'll be posting pics here regularly along with little snippets of updates. Follow this blog to keep up with all our amazing / horrifying exploits! 

Problem, Meet Solution

So I have a small problem. In my living room, there is a large wall that runs almost the length of the entire room. On one end is a double doorway from the foyer. On the other, a single doorway to a small hallway that leads to the kitchen. So this wall also functions as a sort of hallway and has no furniture along it. The front half of the room is a living room, the back half a dining room - and this wall spans both. I love symmetry and the center of this wall is the line between the two rooms, so it makes zero sense to hang one big piece there. To further complicate the problem, there is a light switch on each end, two outlets and a phone jack along the bottom, a thermostat at eye level, and an ENORMOUS air return left of center. Instead of fighting the various white and off-white rectangles, I decided to make a collage of white-framed family photos. It's hard to get such a large wall in one picture, but hopefully you get the idea.

I bought these frames at Hobby Lobby and Joann's when they had frames 50% off. The height draws your eye up and away from the hideous air return (what designer put that there?) and camouflages the thermostat. 

If you try this yourself, add texture by getting different style frames. Some smooth, some beveled, one or two more intricate with some sort of carved pattern. Use a variety of sizes to keep it interesting. Large prints can be purchased at a specialty photo store for really high quality, but if you are trying to save cash, Costco prints cheaper than anyone I've found.  If you know of quality prints for less, feel free to post your tip

For this project, I think mat-less is the way to go, but you could add mats if you just liked the style. If you want a punch of color, try black and white photos in black frames with a bright mat. Yellow, aqua, red, lime... the list goes on. Pick a color that compliments your room and do every picture the same. That way, even though the frames are different, there's still cohesion. 

When choosing photos, try to go with larger, less busy pictures. It makes it easier for people to see without having to get right on top of it, and it makes a stronger statement.

Want even cheaper? Buy cheap frames at Goodwill or your favorite thrift store and spray paint them all to match. The possibilities are endless.

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Come to Bed

The bed is the focal point of the bedroom. It is the most significant piece of furniture in that room. This is especially important in the master bedroom. If the home is your castle, this is where the queen sleeps. It has a reputation to maintain.

I like fluffy beds that make you want to fall into them the second you see them. Duvets that seem to call out from across the room, "Lay with me, snuggle with me, love me!"

Luxury is key. Nobody wants to snuggle up with a scratchy blanket and a flat pillow.

 Usually, the more luxurious you want a look, the more money it costs you. But that doesn't have to be true. The key to an inviting spread is layers, and separates add a custom touch. Here's what I mean.

This bed is ridiculously soft and cozy, and I swear, not a single person who comes into this room can resist sitting/laying/plopping on it. Now, obviously, I am an advocate of reusing old pieces and buying used, but when it comes to the bedroom, it's time to take it up a notch. That does not mean it has to be super expensive, though. Let's break this down by look and price.

The bed frame is all metal and was a floor sample at a furniture store that I picked up for $150. And it's a king - now that's a good deal! Floor samples are a good way to go when you want new, but can't afford the full price. I like a foot-board - it keeps blankets from falling on the floor and gives the bed a completed look. However, if you want to save a few bucks, foregoing the foot-board might do the trick.

The bedding is a mix of two different sets and a few stand alone pillows. The first thing to start with on any bed is the duvet. If you're not allergic to feathers, get a feather duvet. There's no reason not to. They're long lasting, super comfortable, lightweight, and hold in heat like you wouldn't believe. And it's a natural material, which is always better than synthetic mystery fabric.

I picked this one up at Marshall's for $90, and it was a really high quality brand. Remember, this is for a king; if you have a smaller size bed, these prices will be lower. Also at Marshall's, I got the duvet cover - white with an embroidered taupe triple-box outline - with two matching pillow shams for $40. and they are super soft, high thread count Egyptian cotton.

At TJMaxx, I bought a bag set that had a dust ruffle - which oddly had the same embroidered double stripe style as the duvet cover but in green instead of taupe - 2 shams with embroidered flowers on the end, a large white embroidered comforter, and 2 small accent pillows in dark green. All for $60.

Then I bought 2 accent pillows, also at TJMaxx, separately. The large white and green square one, and the oblong green with pink flowers. The first was $14 and the second $20. I almost didn't buy the oblong silk one, but I absolutely loved it and it was totally worth the $20.

The two white square pillows I had from an older (also white) bedspread set. Mixing and matching sets can give the bed an unexpected feel and a personal touch that is custom instead of cookie-cutter. The key is layers.

First, the duvet goes on. Then, folded up at the end of the bed is the uber-fluffy comforter. I folded mine in such a way that it can easily be pulled up at night if you need the extra blanket. You can also reverse that and put a thin blanket spread out then the duvet folded at the end. This works particularly well if you are using a quilt or thin, heavy- or lightweight bedspread.

The pillows are layered from largest to smallest. First, the "heaviest" (most visual weight) shams go in the back, in FRONT of the pillows you actually rest your head on - those should never be displayed. Think of sheets and pillowcases like the undergarments of your bed. You only show them to intimate friends or on very special occasions. (more on that in the bed making post)


Then come the "lighter" (less visual weight) shams, followed by the large throw pillows, and finally the small accent pillows. Play around with the pillow arrangement until you find one you like. You don't even have to stick with the same one every day. When I want a clean, streamlined look, I lose the green and floral pillows and just go with the white.

If you don't have nice artwork, or just art that you like to hang over the bed, consider something simple. This is a small sign that reads, "Always Kiss Me Goodnight." I got it at Hobby Lobby for $12, and I think it might have been half price that day. I tied a piece of white ribbon to it and hung it up. The simplicity of it works in the space, partially because it is a very small room, but also because the bed itself is so ornamented and textured, and the ceiling has something, too.

This particular room was in a rented house, so the walls were the everyday beige/cappuccino that rented walls often are, and changing the light fixtures was not an option. The light was a bland little thing, not ugly, but not interesting either, so I spruced up the ceiling a bit.

This is simply 3 foam balls from the floral department of the hobby store. I bought flowers I liked and stuck them in, attached a ribbon at the top with a push-pin, and hung the ribbon from the ceiling with a tack. This drew the eye away from the sad little fixture and toward the head of the bed, where I wanted the attention focused.

Now, in a different house, those floral balls have found a new purpose, but that is for another post.

Cozy Kitchen

I no longer live in this house - we sorta move a lot - but I always loved this kitchen. Mostly because of the window seat I had built for a total of $40 in materials and I bartered the labor. I am a firm believer that anywhere there is a window in a nook, there can and should be a window seat.

What is more wonderful than having all the comforts of being inside (like AC in August and heating in January), but feeling like you're outside? This was my favorite place to read, check email, do puzzles, you name it. The cornflower blue table with turned legs gives it a cottage-y feel, as do the plates on the inner walls and the bubble curtain - Target's Simply Shabby Chic line for $16. I bought the foam and fabric for the cushions and pillows at Joann's when it was on sale and/or I had a coupon. The foam was the most expensive part, but altogether it cost about $75. Totally worth it for my favorite place EVER!

Cheap Fix

Hate your kitchen? Wish you had a new kitchen? One that has personality and flair and is just more you? New cabinets are very expensive, and new cabinet doors are also pricey. New knobs are a good option, but do not always make a big enough impact and depending on the style, can cost a pretty penny. Time to look at other options - like a paint treatment on your cabinets. Check these out.

Now, if pink's not your thing, envision this in classic black on natural wood, or blue or even Kelly green. If you like funky, think purple or lime or turquoise on wood or white or even another painted color backdrop.

Once you've picked your poison, you'll need a pencil and a ruler, some tape, a brush and paint and you're set. Here's how to make diamonds (or harlequin for you fancy pants out there) without swanky geometric implements: Measure the width of the cabinet and put a pencil mark halfway. Example: the cabinet is 12 inches wide, mark at 6 inches. Measure the height and put another mark halfway. Example: 22 inches high, mark at 11 inches. Do this for all 4 sides of the cabinet. Place the ruler between the mark in the center of the top and one of the side-center marks and draw a line. Repeat this with all four points going around the edge, like connect-the-dots and the end picture should be a diamond. Go inside the box if your cabinets are not flat faced, all the way to the edge if they are.

 For the stripes, the easiest way is to use painters tape in the desired stripe width. Start on the end with a taped space, no tape, tape, no tape... you get the idea.

Once you're all marked, tape your lines and paint inside them. Once the darker/fun color has dried, paint a layer of base coat over top - in this case white - and use another dry brush to go over it and remove roughly 40% of the paint. This will give it a streaked, white-washed look. Let it dry, take off the tape, and voila!

This project took me 2 afternoons and cost $8 for a quart of hot pink paint. That's a seriously cheap, high-impact change. And the best part? If you get tired of it, it's super easy to paint back over it with white. (Which I did when I sold the house - only took an hour.)