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Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Big Girl Bedroom Project Part 2

Question: Do the rest of you find that the more you have going on, the harder it is to blog? I get so overwhelmed when I feel like I have lots to share! Should I do a lot of little posts? Or one big post? I never know. With that being said, I chose to do one big post this time, so hang in there with me!
A lot has happened since I last updated on the progress of the "big girl" room - painting, finding, rethinking, arranging, redoing etc. And there is still more painting, finding, rethinking, arranging, redoing, etc. to be done! I would say that we are 3/4 of the way done, and that feels great! Let me take you on a little tour...
On Painting...
My mom found this great pair of vintage bedside tables at a local furniture consignment shop. They were the style and shape that I was picturing for the room, and they were the PERFECT price! $120.00 for the pair, the exact amount we had made at our garage sale the previous weekend - such a God thing! I love that He is in all the "little" things. Since most of the other furniture in the girl's room is white, I thought it would be fun to paint them "Martha green", I really love the way they turned out!
On Finding...
Ok, this is just a funny side note that I have to share. Inside of one of the bedside table drawers was an assortment of old photographs, receipts, and this envelope marked "Rare Coins and Weapons". My mom found it first and gave it to me. Immediately upon reading the envelope, I thought "Score!" - followed by "Should I call the consignment shop if this contains something priceless?" I hadn't reached a "moral conclusion" before I opened the envelope and examined it's contents... brothel tokens!!! From "Miss Stella's in Nevada", which I'm sure is a very classy establishment -and shoot we just left Nevada! ;) The details on the tokens are pretty explicit, but I will tell you that some are "good for all night"! So I decided not to track down the owner of these "rare coins", if he's not already deceased (probably from an STD) his wife would most likely kill him now! I decided to spare him. I did, however, wash that drawer really well and then updated my cootie shots! Circle circle dot dot... ok, now back to decorating!
On Rethinking...
I love my childhood vintage lamps, but when I put everything together it just was not working - bummer. So I searched the web and found my "dream lamp" on Posh Tots for $180.00 each - not exactly what I was hoping to spend, but I just fell in love with that pagoda shade because it went perfectly with the Chinioserie inspired fabric in the room! So I checked around for something similar. I went to Marshall's, TJMaxx, Target, Stein Mart, and eventually Kirkland's (where I would have never thought to look except it was next to Stein Mart) and I found these! Perfect! They only had two left and were marked down to... $12.99 each! Again, a God thing! Little pagoda shades and everything!
On Arranging...
I finally found time to hang the girl's Sarah Jane prints - yay! I also picked up an assortment of pink and green frames at Marshall's and put 2 on each bedside table. A small accomplishment that took a crazy long time to do!
On Redoing...
My Nana painted this sweet watercolor for my first birthday. It was in my room as a little girl and then I used it in Evie's nursery. I wanted to use it in the "big girl" room, but the mat and frame were not working with the other art. I painted the frame white and then went to Hobby Lobby (aka the Christian Crafter) for a pre-cut white mat. When I got there, I was disappointed to find out that I needed a mat that was just millimeters off of a standard size. I showed the painting to the framer, who loved it and quickly got wrapped up in its sentiment. He said "Well I'll just cut you a new one", and my thought was "Great there goes $50.00", but no! He gave me the pre-cut price of $2.99 and then gave me the pre-cut 50% off discount special!!! So I got a custom mat for $1.50! Plus he let me bring Evie in the back room to watch the machine cut the mat - like a field trip! I love that place!
So what's left to do?
Here is Anabelle sitting with a few things that have not found their home in the room yet. I'm still thinking about the perfect spot for each of these. I often stand in the room staring, in very deep thought, trying make decisions. I'm starting to wear myself out :)My mom has graciously offered to make window treatments (in addition to painting the room, making the headboard, and upholstering a chair - yes I am spoiled rotten) and we've agreed that we like these from one of my inspiration rooms. Precious right?!!!I also need to make a plan for these blue initial plaques from the nursery that need some sort of redo involving some combination of pink, taupe, and/or green.... hmmmmm. I'm looking at Candice n Katie's Art for some inspiration. I would love to be good at this kind of painting, but I'm terrible - even at stripes. We'll see how I do!
I think I'm nearly done with the updates before the whole project is done and, yes, you can see a tiny bit of the headboard in some of the photos in this post, but I want to save some things for the big "Before and After" - the best for last!
Well now that I've pulled this giant post out of my camera and out of the files of my brain (fwew!) I will get back to blogging about regular life. We have a lot coming up in the next few weeks... we get the last of Ben's test results next week, my 2 brothers and sister-in-law are coming in town, my other sister-in-law is having a baby, Evie is starting pre-school, and a lot of us are having birthdays! So stay tuned! I'll leave you with a few pictures of the silly girls...

Monday, July 19, 2010

Big Girl Bedroom Project Part 1

Welcome from Kelly's Korner! This post is from a few months ago, and the finished "Big Girl" room is still in the works (we're almost done!), but I thought I'd go ahead and share anyway. Be sure to also visit Part II! Last week was an exercise in juggling hats - 1. Be a good mommy to a 22 month old with a virus 2. Be a good mommy to a 4.5 year old who loves my attention 3. Kick my bedroom redo projects into gear (I'm redoing mine right now too - will share a separate post soon!) and 4. Try to still be a somewhat decent wife! No comment on how well I did in all of said areas (see those two sad neglected children up there?) my poor family just "may" have gotten the short end of the stick, but I have accomplished a lot in the way of decorating in the last 5 days! My mom and Ben helped a ton, they painted both bedrooms (while I "tendered ma youngin's") and my mom helped me to wash and put all of the new bedding together. Ben and I had a new king size bed delivered on Friday morning, and we moved our queen to the girl's room for them to share once Annie is out of her crib. Both Evie and I are supper happy with our new larger sleeping spaces, but Ben has expressed a little disappointment at my wanting to sleep so far away from him - it's ok Babe, I'll remember to shout "goodnight" to you from way over on my side ;)! So, I thought I would share a sampling of a few things I've worked on in Evie and Anabelle's "big girl room" this week...

The Inspiration Boards (just to "refresh your memory")
I bought this sweet lamp at Home Goods about a month ago, and I bought this chest at a garage sale before Miss Anabelle was born. Looked nice together, but still needed some accessories!So I dug around my house and found a few perfect things! A mirrored glass frame that was a wedding gift from my Aunt Bobbie, a Cranberry glass globe from my Aunt Scarlet (who died of breast cancer last year), a pink satin ribbon from Evie's first ballet recital, a Lusterware tea cup and Milk Glass bowl from my mom, and then an Apple Blossom candle from Target. Notice the paint color? Taupe!
This is what it all looks like together now. I love it that I was able to find special things to use that were already in my house!
This pair of vintage lamps was in my room as a little girl (FYI they were vintage then too) and I wanted to use them, but the colors were not quite right... ... A little paint and voila! They match! I have a plan for those plain white shades too - stay tuned for that and much more!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

More Little Girl Bedrooms

More pretty spaces to get those design wheels turnin'! I recently found this website, Decor Pad - it's great! Enjoy!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

The Nursery

Before I dive into the "Big Girl Room" redo, I wanted to share and remember the sweet room that has been Evie and Anabelle's nursery. My mom and I chose the colors, fabrics, bedding, etc. while I was pregnant with Evie, and I still love the soft simple pallet. The room has moved and grown with our family from our town house to our current home, and from one baby girl to two! It all started with this classic rocking chair that Ben and I bought with the hopes of having babies one day. I basically chose blue and yellow long before I knew I would have girls (plus, for some reason I totally expected to have a boy). Decorating a girly room to coordinate with the chair was a bit of a challenge, but I didn't give up and it worked out!The room has always been very soft, mostly white with bits of color here and there. It has been such a fresh feeling space for my babies, sort of like a clean white onesie - just yummy and sweet!This antique twin bed belonged to my mother as a child, then to me, then to Evie! It is a very special family piece that I will save for future children. Mom and I made the wall letters before Anabelle was born to go over each girl's bed.I love the sweet vintage style fabric, I chose it along with blue gingham to coordinate with the rocker and my mom all of the bed linens. The girl's have a collection of Beatrix Potter figurines, some were mine as a baby and my aunt has added to the collection for Evie and Anabelle. They are housed in a cabinet with books and other treasures...... like this stack of vintage blankets. I have LOVED the girl's nursery! It has been a happy room for baby girls to sleep and play! Here are a few of my favorite nursery memories of the girls as tiny babies...
P.S. Annie is still a baby to me - she only gets to move to a big girl room at this point by association with her big sister, and it's a little too soon for me!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Making Plans

I've been busy making plans for Evie and Anabelle's "little girl room" (I just cannot bring myself to call it a "big girl room" yet as Annie is only 21 months old!) I've had fun searching the web for ideas and inspiration, and I have already bought a handful of items for the new room. I know the basic direction I'm headed, so I'm mostly tweaking the details at this point. I plan to blog throughout the process (then next I'm moving on to my bedroom!) but I thought for starters it would be fun to show you some of the rooms I love most from the web. Each has different aspects that I adore and plan to incorporate into my own girl's room in some way...
This one is classy, preppy, fun! I love the sweet color scheme, polka dots, white bedding, and upholstered head board - TDF!This one is so soft and warm. I love the gingham fabric on the headboards and bed skirt mixed with the solid white and floral - sweet! I also like the art - just a touch of Chinoiserie! (Actually I think it might me Tibetan(?) so scratch that - but just a little Chinoi is so my thing!)This bedding is fantastic - all ruffled and plushy! Notice the upholstered headboards again - hint hint ;)Love that closet door treatment!This one makes me smile! It's all classic lines and concepts, but with a fun mod twist! I'm honestly starting to feel a little obsessed with wallpaper - not sure it is going to fit into my plans, but I'm loving it! I adore the large scale gingham, and that ceiling fixture... fab!I love this bold pattern on the canopy paired with the all white bedding, it makes me happy :) The white chandelier is wonderful, plus this wallpaper's soft pattern and color is so sweet! Gingham, white bedding, wallpaper, and a chandelier again - what more can I say?!!!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Talkin' 'bout Girls and Chairs

I've had a couple of chair makeovers at my house recently. Two chairs of very a different sort actually, but I still thought it would be fun to share them in the same post...

Chair for a Grown-Up Girl:

This vintage chair has been in my life as long as I can remember, it was in my bedroom all throughout my childhood. As a baby my mom and I sat in this chair to read Poky Little Puppy, I pretended it was my couch when I played house as little girl, in junior high it was a dumping place for my friend's spend the night bags, and in high school I used to sit in it while I talked to boys on the phone (in fact my relationship with Ben started right in this spot). Needless to say, to me, it is a very special piece of furniture. My aunt originally had it upholstered in this sweet green chenille, which is timeless and I still love, but it was starting to show wear. A few weeks ago, my mom reupholstered it in a neutral linen that I bought from an interior designer who was moving her studio ($30.00 - great deal!)

So, now starts my "grown up" relationship with the chair. It looks really pretty in my living room!

The girls are really loving it too, and my mom has promised them their own copy of Poky Little Puppy - yay :P I'm looking forward to it being our Fancy Nancy (looks like Fancy Nancy herself is enjoying the chair!) and Olivia reading spot! Below is a picture from Country Living, it's is my inspiration goal for the living room, I think the new/old chair will fit in nicely!

On to my second chair makeover!
Chair for a Little Girl:

On our last trip to Disney, we stoped at the Ikea in Orlando to pick up this high chair - I love it! It's light weight, easy to clean, small scale, etc. After we got home I had this great idea to customize it with Annie's monogram.

I ordered this adorable vinyly graphic from an Etsy shop, the girl totally customized it for me and it was only $4.50 ($4.50!!!) I LOVE the way it turned out!

So fun having some makeover projects done around the house - makes me smile!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Talkin' 'bout my Hobby

Do you remember this sneak peek pic from way back in September? Believe it or not, I did not "file 13" this project! I finally finished my part of making these outfits (cutting out all the pieces & the appliques) around Christmas time before I gave them to my mom to sew (I might add that she finished her half quite promptly). I can be such a procrastinator - I had originally intended for these to be fall outfits! (Ok, but seriously my husband usually works 80 hours a week, so that makes me a very busy FULL time mom!) Here they are - finally finished! They are reversible corduroy A-line jumpers with a print and initial patch on one side, and a funky owl on the other. Thankfully they ended up being a little bit big, so I'm hoping they will still fit next fall. I do think the owls will be really sweet for Valentine's Day. Oh yeah, and the ribbon you see in the top picture was used to have coordinating hair bows (for the owl side) made by my friend Angie. The girls already wore the printed side to Hollywood Studios back in December, here are a few pictures I snapped of Annie "modeling"... Awe, see how much she loves her dress ;) Now that I know how long it takes for me to make my projects happen, I'm starting early on the Summer outfits I want to make! Here is a sneak peek of the fabric I've picked for a couple of different outfits. I also have a few other ideas in the works, but I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself! After I design the outfits and cut out the pieces, my mom either oversees or does most of the sewing. I still don't have the confidence to do it all on my own, she's just so good at it and I'm too much of a perfectionist to be happy with my own "stitchery" just yet ;) Now, when I say "I design the outfits", I don't so much mean that all this stuff just comes off the top of my head. I usually have already seen a picture that inspires me. For example, I ordered this precious hat for Evie from Sparkleberry Crafts on Etsy, but I also loved this pink gingham peasant dress (with vintage ribbon!) seen in the photo. So I have plans to make my own version of it using this Sandi Henderson pattern and some vintage ribbon that I "swiped" from my mom's collection, I actually think mine will end up being cuter ;) I found this sister set on The Cherry Tree 123 blog and I totally love it! My mom found the same patch work madras plaid fabric at Hobby Lobby - great find! Then I picked out some green seersucker to coordinate with it, so I plan to mix it up just a bit. I just need to stay focused and make these projects happen - I can do it - I hope! If you want some children's clothes design inspiration too (or if you just want to save your sanity and buy stuff) here are some of my other favorite sites for stealing ideas...
and of course Etsy Kids!!!

Evie Grace

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Anabelle May

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