December 7, 2011

{Living Room After}

It has been an insane whirlwind during the last few weeks as I worked on the house with HOURS of painting to the point that I think I might have Carpel Tunnel in my painting wrist (this is no joke. I went downstairs to paint a chalkboard wall in my basement this morning and as I started cutting in I got shooting pains in my wrist and my fingers went numb. Yikes!) But so much progress has been made!

For starters, here are some after pictures of our Living Room now that we've moved in. I wanted to grab a few quick pics before the christmas tree went up. Just out of frame is a half assembled tree I started before I realized I forgot to take pictures!
{after}
{before}

{another after, as a side note, the clock above the couch is now hanging in the center of the bookcase. Our painting affectionally named "George" now resides above the couch.}

{recognize those bookcases?}

{Here they are in the apartment. I swapped the backs out with beadboard and gave them a fresh white coat of paint... or two... or three}

{This is the entry way. Yes the dresser REALLY need a new coat of paint, I'm thinking turquoise. At least I replaced the knobs. And I have finally hung the mirror. }

{before of the entry}

{Loving the chandelier, before it was a dated brass and wood ceiling fan. What a huge difference a light makes! I got this from Laurel a couple years ago but never had just the right place to hang it before. I love it in here!}

{New pillow I made. I'll give details later}

{I never did show the before and after on my $10 coffee table. The chess set was made from a serving tray. My kids play chess all the time!}
{I am loving the new living room. And huge thanks to my dad for helping me install the batten board and window trim!}
Coming soon, kitchen or laundry room, I can't decide...

November 22, 2011

{ Not on the List }

Does this ever happen to you?
You have so much to do...lists a mile long...and you end up getting totally sidetracked by something so unnecessary, but fun?
Yeah, that probably doesn't happen to you...but it happens to me a lot!
Here's what I did...
My friend sent me a link to Box o' Princesses from Lilli Boo.
When I saw this cuteness...
I couldn't wait to give a try.

I didn't make the princess from The Princess & the Frog because we haven't seen that one yet.
But, I added Pocahantos... 
and Mulan {she's my favorite}... 
They fit perfectly in the little paper mache box... 
I downloaded the artwork for the top of the box & little town scenery from the amazing artist Stephanie Corfee here.
It is so much fun & Boo is loving it.
The hardest part was trying to glue the teeny tiny jewels on.
Now, back to the lists. :)

November 16, 2011

{ Autumn Decor }

Well, Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
Are you ready?

I am so excited to be hosting my family this year!
I made the menu & shopping list yesterday.
Nothing fancy, just good ole' traditional Thanksgiving dinner food.

My Thanksgiving decor is very simple.
I used the leftover Halloween pumpkins & grouped them together on top of the piano.
Have I mentioned how big the surface is on the piano?
It makes it a bit difficult to decorate sometimes.

After grouping the pumpkins I needed to balance out the other side so I used an empty frame for height.
The frame seemed a bit too empty, but I didn't want to get my sewing machine out, so I gathered fabric scraps from my stash, used some fabric bonding, cut out triangles & just used my mini clothspins to hang them on the wire that was already attached to the back of the frame.
Easy & quick!

Here's a broader view.
 { By the way, I've been wanting to change the finish on my piano...paint, restain...what do you think? }

Here's a few pictures of some of my other Autumn decor... 
I've had these Pilgrims & Indians for quite a while.
I love them.
Quick & easy arrangement on the dining room table.
Can you see the empty frame peeking out in the background?
I found it at an antique store.
I think there's a few people who come over & wonder why I have empty frames hanging in my home.
That's okay, they make me happy.
The little shelf with my two oldest kids' silhouettes when they were 4 years old.
They are 16 & 13 now.
Where does the time go?
Next week will be crazy.
My kids are out of school all week & our company is coming.
I can't wait!

November 3, 2011

{ Home Again! }

I'm happy to say we're officially home owners again!!!

Hurray!!!

Here's one quick photo of the living room to give you an idea of what we're working with. 
Imagine light painted walls with 3/4 batten board, a new light, window treatments, my leather couches and bookcases full of books.

Can you see it? 

I can, and I can't wait!

I'll post some more before pictures soon...

November 1, 2011

{ Open Pantry }

Apartment living, after many years of home ownership, has been a great experience in a lot of ways. In other ways, it's been a little tough. We've certainly had to think outside the box. Our kitchen is TINY! and our pantry is only two and a half feet wide. We're talkin' the door is half the width of a standard door. Ouch! Remember my old kitchen?
{Sigh} at times like this I really miss her. 

We needed to improvise big time. The postage stamp size pantry was called into service to hold our dishes, so we used my office bookcases as our pantry in our little dining nook. this isn't really a "decorator worthy" picture, but this is more about practicality over style.

That being said, I tried to keep it as attractive as possible since it takes up a big amount of visual space in our little home. Organization was key.

These containers are my favorite. Granted their plastic, but I'm good with that. There are tons of pantries out there with glass containers holding all sorts of goods, but I have four kids for crying out loud. Glass would be chipped and broken in no time. And at $3 for the big containers, and $2 for the little ones, they were also very budget friendly. I spruced them up a bit by adding vinyl labels and lettering. It has been a huge space saver, and it got rid of most of the random bags and boxes on our shelves. I've been loving them!

A few other organizing containers: 
Baskets (on sale for $4 at Hobby Lobby) to hold microwave popcorn and oatmeal packets. 
More container to dump bags of cereal in, yes they are almost all empty right now, I guess I better go shopping!
Wire baskets to manage bottles of oils and vinegar, sandwich makings etc.
My Sweet Hubby likes it so much he wants to keep them in our next house. Not gonna happen, but my new pantry should be really organized!

October 28, 2011

{ Friday Fun }

Yay for Friday!!!

Today I'm sharing the beautiful home of Ellie {don't you just love her name} from the blog Frog Goes to Market.
The Living Room...



the Dining Room... 



the Kitchen... 



and the Bedroom... 


Amazing, right?!!
She has so many fun collections displayed in her home.
Please go check out Frog Goes to Market & have a happy weekend!

October 27, 2011

{ List }

A list of just a few of the projects I would love to do if I could find the time...

Alphabet Block Magnets...

Braided Headband...

Girl's Emergency Clutch...

Embroidery Hoop Button Clock...
{ not sure of the source }

Silver Tray Christmas Advent Calendar...

October 13, 2011

{ A Bit of Halloween }

I am still here.
I've been having a hard time adjusting to the school schedule this year.
It seems like I am running here, there & everywhere!

I wanted to stop in & give you bits of my Halloween decor this year.
I copied the chalkboard art out of the Pottery Barn catalog.


I added a few more ornaments to the tree this year.
Most of them have come from Pier 1.

I love her.

The little girls' art project with their aunt.
Orange tissue paper, black card stock & Mod Podge.
So fun!

Last week we had beautiful, perfect cooler weather.
But, Mother Nature was just teasing us because this week we have been in the very high 90s!
Yuck!
I hope someone out there is enjoying some fall weather for me.