A Little Peek

Here's one reason I haven't had much to show lately.

 That's standing in my hallway looking through my old laundry closet into our master closet.  We moved the laundry to the basement a few years ago, and it's finally time to expand our master closet! 

Still a lot of work to do (not to mention the other projects I've been working on).

Will's Nursery

It's been a great while since I checked in.  Will is 4 months old, I'm back at work, the garden is finally coming in, and life is just hectic.  But we are trying to do some fun things this summer with Sam as a family, so that is fun too. 

I was home from work with Sam the other day, so I took a little time and photographed Will's nursery.  There is one more project I'd like to do for over his crib and the curtains still haven't been hemmed, but I figured I needed to get some pictures anyways.

This room is impossible to photograph with my regular lens, but I tried my best.  I didn't style much since I was doing this while at home with a sick kid (he's fine now).  It's a small room, but perfect for a nursery.  The walls are Analytical Gray by Sherwin Williams.  It is a perfect warm but not pink gray and works really well with the stained trim (bane of my existence).  For reference, here's my original mood board for the nursery.

I did get the stuffed puppy (it's made by Jellycat), and I sewed the quilt (in this post).  The rocker turned out different - I used my great grandma's glider but didn't get around to reupholstering it.  It works with the existing faux leather for now.

I love the gallery wall.  Love, love.  The top left picture is one I drew when I was 5 years old - my cousin found it and gave it to me for Christmas.   The frames are Ikea and Michaels and Target.  The clock was from Lowes.  The Fe canvas I made using a DIY image transfer method.  The footprint canvas is Will's one-month footprint.  The W is from Michaels - I painted it black and distressed.  The baskets on the changing table shelf are from Target, the bins on the bottom from TJMaxx - both are Curver brand.

The changing pad cover is one I made from large buffalo check fabric.  I tried to improvise, and it took me three tries to get it right.  I should have just followed the tutorials I read instead of trying to be cool and do it my own way.

Curtains I made from white linen-look fabric.  The curtain rods are EMT electrical conduit and wood craft finials I spray painted ORB.  The blinds are fruitwood ones from Home Depot, and the wall lamp is from Lowes.  Rug and ottoman are from Target.

 I had planned to do a large rustic map art over the crib, but I haven't finished it yet.  So for now the TJMaxx art hangs over the end of the crib.  I made the crib skirt and sheet.  The sheet is black and white hounds tooth; I also have one with cows on it.

I should have taken photos of the closet, but I was lazy.  I painted out all the shelving while I was pregnant and added baskets.  His clothes are so cute hanging on the tiny little hangers inside.  I didn't style the bookshelf - the top shelf is stuffed full of newborn cloth diapers he's outgrown.  One of these days I'll get a tote and put them in the storage room.

 This hook was a wedding present from some friends, and now it holds little ball caps in the little corner between the closet and window.  It's just a cute detail that makes me happy.

I'm pretty proud of this nursery; I feel like it's my best room yet.  There are things I'd like to tweak/add, but I pretty much did it all myself while I was pregnant with William, and I adore this room.  I think it is a good take on my original mood board, and if the boys ever need to share a room I think the decor from Will's room and Sam's room will blend really well with each other.

*Crib and changing table we had from when Sam was a baby - they are Delta Martine collection.  And the bookshelf is from Target.

Mudroom Closet

Last Christmas I did a quick and dirty "mud closet" by our back door - took the bi-fold doors off and installed a rough bench.  Well, it was getting used as a dumping ground for all kinds of random stuff, and with no hooks it wasn't working well.  I originally wanted to ditch the closet entirely and build in a mud bench, but that is not happening anytime in the foreseeable future, so I resolved to redo my first attempt into something a little nicer looking.

I took a day off work and my sis, who was home from college on Christmas break, helped me get the closet demoed, reworked, and painted all in a day.  And although there are now coats hanging up and Hubby hates putting his shoes in a basket, it still is looking fairly decent today.

We added legs as additional support for the bench (it's screwed into studs but I am paranoid).

 Painted the existing shelves that are on the left side . . .

 Added hooks for coats.  One day I'll probably add a second shelf up top - the supports are already there and it would be good extra storage for out-of-season hats and accessories.

We didn't take any progress shots as we worked on some other proejcts as well during the course of the day.  But here's a before and after from when the day we got the keys until now:

Sam's New Closet

I have finished Sam's closet in his new "big boy" room.  Well, basically. 

Here's a before, the day we got the keys.

And here it is now.

A few things - seeing hangers on the rod, I need to move the hat/belt rack to the left a bit, and I didn't factor in enough space for getting the hangers on and off the rod.  So I will be using some scrap wood to add another inch or two between the rod and shelf.  Don't tell Hubby - I'm hoping he won't notice until after it's fixed. 

What I did - added shelves around the bump out for the air return.  The baskets hold most of Sam's clothes, pretty much everything except his button-down shirts and polos.  I also changed out the rods, from several short ones to one long one.  I feel like this is a much better use of the space and can grow with Sam.  And of course there is space on the top shelf for storage.  I'm trying to go through things in his current closet (in the soon-to-be nursery) and only move over those things he actually needs.  Definitely going through a purging stage as far as closets go. 

And yes, I did it all at 20+ weeks pregnant, the measuring, cutting, everything.  :-)

Now I just  need to fix those couple small things this weekend . . .

New Pillows

I think I finally like our master bedroom pillows. 

I made two new ones - they had been cut out and partially done for months, but I finally made myself finish them, and I think they will stay for a while.  The red shams came with our comforter, and the plaid pillow I made a while ago.  There were a few other pillows rotating in and out in the intervening months, but I never was quite in love. 

These are 20" square (bigger than the old "eh" ones) and are made from the curtain fabric.  The jumbo piping (PITA!) is made from a fabric that is the inverse of the main fabric.  All pillow fabrics are from JoAnn's. 

I think the new ones lighten up the bed a touch and tie the wall color and curtains into the bedding better.  The walls are Calm Air by Behr, and I love it.  It's a great golden yellow that doesn't get all glowy and funky. 

The dark matching furniture is starting to wear on me, but it's not going anywhere for a long time, and we paid good  money for it.  The artwork above the bed I like, but I feel like it needs to go on another wall and put something more substantial above the headboard - possibly a large "antiqued" canvas with our monogram?

Anywho, I'm liking these new pillows and am glad to have that project off my cutting table.

A little bit of everything

The past week I have been working hard, this weekend harder.   I may have overdone it a bit today, but as of this evening, here is what the basement bedroom (soon-to-be guest room) looks like:

Two coats on half of the board and batten - I think it needs a third to be truly done.  The other half of the room just has one coat, but two hours is about my painting limit these days.  We also placed the order for flooring, so I'm still hopeful this room will be done for Sam's birthday party next month.

Over the past week, I've also managed to do a little bit of sewing in between painting trim, laundry, and dishes.  Here are some of the latest Farmer's Wife blocks.

 The one below is an extra block I found online from Barbara Brackman's Civil War Quilts blog.

 Last block I made from the book. #83(?)

 Another extra from the Civil War Quilts blog.

Well, back to my day job tomorrow morning and canning tomatoes in the evening.

Family Room Updates

Well, the intent of this post was to link up with a blog party a week ago, but seeing as how I can barely keep us in clean clothes and dishes these days, I'm just going to post it now by myself.  

I haven't really posted any before or afters of our house on here.  We bought our house from a family member, and that can be a sensitive situation when you start completely redoing things.  But it's been almost two years since we got the keys, and I want to begin showing some of our progress.  Pretty much none of the rooms are completely finished yet, but we've made significant progress on most of them.  

Our family room/playroom is open to the kitchen (it's one long bowling alley room).  We have a bigger TV and our nice couch in the basement den, but we spend a lot of time in here (probably because of the toys).  

Here is the before – the day we got the keys.  You walk in our back door at the kitchen and see the family room beyond.   

And here it is just a few weeks ago when it was all clean for company. 

Basically I have found everything for this room because our existing (good) couch from our old house is downstairs in the basement with the big TV.  Accumulating furniture is an adventure when you go from 900 sqft to roughly 3400 sqft.  My final vision is to ditch the green accents have it be white, beige, chocolate, wood tones, with red accents and the occasional touch of orange, aqua, and yellow.

Things we have done:

• Painted the walls (twice, first time just to get rid of the green, second time once I finally figured out what color I wanted).  They are currently Valspar’s Moose Mousse. 
•  Built the toy storage shelves from this Ana White plan, modifying slightly to fit my existing baskets.  They are painted Martha Stewart’s Glass of Milk.

• Got a hand-me-down loveseat (it was free)
•  Bought a wingback recliner at Goodwill for $11 
• Got my old play table and chairs from Mom & Dad’s basement for Sam to use 
• Painted an old frame we had and added a chalkboard to it (plywood painted with chalkboard paint)

• Removed vertical blinds and shelf and added fruitwood blinds from Home Depot 
• Sewed proper curtains from white linen-look fabric after using twin sheets as curtains 
• Painted a Goodwill end table red – it works for now 
• Since the pictures, we removed the fluorescent light and added a ceiling fan with light – it helps with air circulation immensely, and no more fluorescent humming!

What I still want/need to do:

• Move the pictures on the end wall down a few inches – yes, after I just filled holes, painted, and drilled new holes and anchors for them a month ago.  I am nothing if not intelligent.  Actually, I didn’t have a problem with their height until we installed the ceiling fan and it cut off the view of the top of the clock.  And update the pictures in the frames.  
• Get an IKEA sofa to replace the loveseat (in white slipcover) 
• Reupholster the wingback in drop cloth with red feed sack stripes similar to this Pottery Barn chair (they don't have the feedsack stripe available anymore).  I'm terrified to do it myself but have read that it would cost WAY too much to have it done for me.
• Get a rug.  I’m having trouble deciding what size – do we really need an 8x10 or could we get by with a 5x7?  The room is narrow (maybe 12w x16L "ish"), and really I just want a cushy space for playing with toys on the floor.  
• Stencil the curtains with this stencil from Royal Design Studio.  I saw some “text” and “poem” curtains on blogs but know I would never be able to keep my handwriting that neat or stable.  I’m going to wait until I get a few other things done first though so I can make sure I still want the stencil later on. 
• Paint the end table by the wingback.  It’s an old end table/magazine rack that has been at my parents’ house as long as I remember.  But it has dings and I think the beaded trim would show off better painted a robin’s egg blue and distressed.  
• Once we get the sofa, build/find end tables to go on either end.  That’ll mean moving the kiddie table, which is fine.  Everything in this room is basically in a state of flux. 
• Eventually, at some point long down the road, I would love to build a faux corner fireplace and mount a flat-screen TV on top.  I’d use the open space at the bottom for a toy basket or seasonal décor.  I am convinced it would look fantastic from both the front and back doors (you see that corner from both).  Convincing hubby will take a few years.  
• One day (in my dreams) I’d love to knock the wall behind the sofa into a half wall with a column at the far end.  It would look into the stairwell then.  I just feel like it would open up the room that much more and make it feel less narrow, aid with air circulation and all that.

That looks like a long list, but I think it’s mostly my oversharing details.  I tend to do that.  Seriously, it’s a far cry from just last summer when the only things in the room were my college TV (which has since died), a swivel rocker (in another room now), toy baskets on the floor, and the kiddie table and chairs.  While it’s not my final vision yet, it’s definitely coming along and at least looks halfway presentable now.  Not too shabby, no?

Progress & Things

I've been hard at work around here, so the time has been spent doing things instead of blogging.

A tart pan chalkboard welcome sign for the back door.

Hanging plates in the dining room.  I think they need more friends.

Weeding the garden . . . although the corn is still smothered in weeds over on the far side.

And, the progress . . .  the long wall is done in the basement bedroom.  Two more walls to go . . . I'm trying to finish the trim this week so I can paint the family room and kitchen this weekend and the board and batten next week. 

Hi There

Not much sewing going on this past week (or two).  I've been much busier gardening and working on house projects.  May always seems to be busy.  I have:

- made a tiered planter using Positively Splendid's tutorial (last month but never shared - I kind of want to add some ORB grain sack stripes later)

- planted flowers for my brother's wedding in August - I'm going to be the florist.  Wish me luck; I'm just praying all the seeds and such that I've ordered will sprout and grow properly.  I think I have every coral/orange/pinkish flower known to man.

- planted our vegetable garden.  Everything is in except a couple Roma tomatoes (sold out everywhere) and some peppers I started from seed.

- begun working again on our basement bedroom.  It started like this . . . (only before picture I have of this room, weird).

Ah, another before from the opposite side.

Spent almost a year (from last August to this May) like this . . . (well, the walls were primed and painted, but there was no trim on the walls and wood and tools stacked everywhere).

And as of this evening looks like this . . .

Still a long way to go, but at least I am working on it.

Well, it's 9:30, and my toddler is not in bed yet, so I should be going.  Priming some more boards for the bedroom is up next on the list.

Oh, and this is the best picture - my almost-86-year-old granddaddy helping Sam on the pedal tractor at a recent picnic.  He has no business doing that, but he's a farmer (they just can't sit/quit) and I know one day this will be a very special memory. 

New Curtains

We have curtains in the playroom now.  (And blinds, finally, yeah I use that word a lot). 

Aren’t they nice?  They are temporary until I find the perfect riotous fabric for “real” curtains.

These aren’t real curtains?  Nope.  Where did I get them?  How did I make them?  How much did these beauts cost?  Whoa there, Nelly.  I promise, it’s not as difficult/expensive as you think.

They are twin sheets from Wal-Mart.  Yep.  That’s right.  The cheap ones – Mainstays, $5 each.  Uh-huh.  Hung with ring clips from Lowe's (they have the bigger ones for my spray painted closet rod-turned-curtain rod).  Don’t read that last sentence or you’ll know all my secrets.  

Anywho, I was going nutty from not having curtains (or blinds).  This window gets a lot, lot, lot of sun.  I managed to find one blind but had to wait for a second one to come in stock.  With one blind hung and no curtains I was really going batty.  But I couldn’t find any cute sheets to work.  I needed two sets of twin sheets for the twin beds in the guest room, so I figured if I tried plain white ones and they looked awful I’d still be able to use the sheets later.  So I tried it, and . . .  it didn’t look too bad at all.  I can totally live with this until that wow fabric finds me. 

New Stairwell Light

Finally!  After several months of waiting, my Habitat ReStore light is now hanging in our stairwell! 

 

Before:

 

After:

She’s gorgeous!  I’m so glad I didn’t do the safe thing and pass her up.  I looked at this light four times or so before I finally asked the price and purchased it.  I was only about 70% sold on it, couldn’t quite get past the brass or the size. 

After

But it is absolutely perfect in its new home after a good cleaning and a few coats of oil rubbed bronze spray paint (and a couple of months hanging out in the basement, patiently waiting).  Now if only I can knock that left side out to create a half wall and get my gigantic tobacco basket hung on the wall . . . we will be in business!