GETTING TRIM

Speaking of getting trim, after being unable to exercise for several months 

(due to my upper back/neck injury), 

I am certainly making up for lost time and attempting to get trim again, but that's a whole separate post.

Today, I want to show you the trim I finally got around to adding to the dining room curtains.

I talked about wanting to do so, here.

I did look around locally and on-line for some deep blue velvet trim,

but I just couldn't seem to find any I loved at the right price.

So I did what I normally do, I forgot all about the project entirely.

Luckily, my laziness patience has paid off, again.

Back in November, while doing a little shopping in Lexington,

I happened upon a bolt of trim in a little vintage shop.

This trim, to be exact......

It was tucked down on the bottom shelf with some random objects.

I quickly took it up front and inquired about the quantity and the price.

Well, low and behold, wouldn't you know, there was exactly one yard more than I needed 

and the kind shop owner wanted me to take it off his hands for a mere $15.  SOLD!

My mother was in town visiting at the time 

and she attached it with stitch witchery to the edges of all four panels.

I tried hard to get a picture of the entire bay window, but the the lighting was too bright at the time.

The simple trim really does dress up the curtains just enough.

So now that the curtains finally got trim, 

I'm going to bust my butt getting trim, hopefully before Spring Break.

Thanks for all the feedback on the lighting options for "The Nook".  

I'm excited to tackle a few projects around here.

STAYIN' ALIVE (MOVING PLANTS INDOORS)

I have certainly never been accused of having a green thumb.  

In fact, the only three things I have been able to keep alive are my three children,

 Even then, there have been some close calls.  

Therefore, I am not holding my breath that the lovely hanging beehive (Bolivian Jew) plants I had on my back porch this summer will live a long life now that I have moved them inside for the season.

But until they die a slow death, I will enjoy the natural element they bring to our home. 

I added one to the living room and used an old vintage stool as a plant stand. 

I added the other one to our family room. 

I suspect the kids and the dog will play a role in its death.

I promise to do my best to water them regularly 

and I will cross my fingers that they make it through the winter.   

I tossed the ferns.  They are just too messy to live in my house. 

Do you move any of your plants inside for the winter?

SUNBURST MIRROR MAKEOVER

A big perk of my job is having to shop.  I know, tortuous, right?  

Sometimes as I'm slipping out the door and the kids are asking where I'm going, 

I quickly reply, "Mommy's going to work."

And sometimes, that means, mommy's going to Homegoods or an antique store or a thrift store, 

all in the name of "WORK"!

A few weeks ago, while I was "working", I came upon this great sunburst mirror.

I originally bought it for a client.  

It didn't work out for the client's project, but it sure worked out in my living room.

I loved the rustic look of it and the size was perfect for a blank wall 

I have been living with for a couple of years now. 

It helps bring some light to this little corner of the living room.

However, the dark finish felt a little heavy with the dark piano and the dark frame.

So what do you think I did? 

Yep, you know me too well.  I broke out the good ole' Rub N' Buff!

I actually had to purchase my second tube of Rub N' Buff for this project.  

My first tube lasted for many, many, many projects.  

Seriously, when is Amaco going to contact me to do an infomercial for Rub N' Buff?

I'll have my cell phone on all day tomorrow just in case.

I am digging this corner now.  

And how about this view, 

my new favorite corner with a reflection of my other favorite corner. 

Wait until you see what else I Rub N' Buffed. 

I know no boundaries when it comes to that stuff.  

I'll share next week. 

In the meantime, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.  

My daughter turns a decade old next week and I simply can't believe it.

I'll be spending the weekend resting up for her slumber party on Sunday night.

Sharing with:
Thistlewood Farms
Our Fifth House

OH YES I DID

Last week I showed you my new bright yellow ottoman that I picked up at Goodwill. 

Well, it's not bright yellow anymore!

With a little latex paint, some fabric medium, a spray bottle of water, and some elbow grease, 

it nows looks like this...

It used to look like this....

Not that there was anything wrong with the bright yellow, it just wasn't jiving with the rest of the room.

The new color is Benjamin Moore Deusen Blue.

It almost has a denim look to it. 

And it flows much better with the rest of the room now.

I figured if I totally screwed it up, I could always have it reupholstered.

A tufted ottoman probably wasn't the best piece to experiment on.  

It was quite the challenge to paint the folds of the fabric.

but fortunately it turned out great!  

I don't think I'll make a habit of painting upholstered furniture, 

but giving this ottoman a facelift with paint was the perfect solution. 

Come on, fess up.  Have you ever painted upholstery?

Sharing with:
Primitive and Proper
DIY by Design
Savvy Southern Style
Home Stories A2Z
Miss Mustard Seed

MOONLIGHT MADNESS

Last Wednesday I got all gussied up in my good jeans, high heels and full makeup for a night out with my girlfriends.  But before I hit the town, I bribed my kids with a trip to the ice cream store.  

After ice cream, I casually mentioned that we needed to swing by Goodwill for the monthly midnight madness sale.  You can imagine their enthusiasm upon hearing this.  Good thing the ice cream was still fresh in their minds (and all over their faces).  You see, I had a hidden agenda. I had been eying this tufted ottoman for about six weeks at the local Goodwill.  

I know, it's pathetic that I stalk furniture, but I do!

The latest victim of my stalking was this ottoman.  

It was a buyout from Target, but priced too high for thrift store standards. 

It is currently on sale for $263.99 on Target's website. 

It was $165 at Goodwill. 

Unless you get all dressed up and drag your three children to the 

Moonlight Madness Sale at Goodwill.  Then the price is $82.50!

I'll spare you the gory details, but let's just say it was a sketchy crowd that night 

but I walked away with the ottoman and my dignity, barely!!

I was 95% sure the bright yellow would not work in my living room, but I wanted to give it a shot. 

I even went so far as to add a bright yellow patterned pillow to the room to see if I could make it work. 

NO DICE!  It was just too bright and cheery for me.  

So now what? 

Well, I'm sure any sane person would:

a) have ordered a brand spanking new ottoman in a different color from Target;

b) have the Goodwill ottoman reupholstered in a new fabric;

c) sell the Goodwill ottoman on Craigslist and make a profit.

I have certainly never tried to pass myself off as a sane person.  

So, I'm going to paint it!  

It is going to be this beautiful color.

Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue 

I followed Kristy's instructions and I put the first coat of paint on it last night. 

I still have several steps before it is reveal ready, but boy am I glad to see that yellow go away. 

DEALING WITH A DESIGN DILEMMA

When I asked for help last week with a design dilemma, you guys did not disappoint.  

I received many comments with some great ideas.  

I still love the idea of adding a fiddle leaf fig tree here,

but until I brush up on my indoor gardening skills,

I have filled the corner with the table that was in front of the bay window.

Here's a wider angle of the new and improved corner.  

I also made another small change by removing one of the pillows from the backs of the love seats.  

I have a love hate relationship with these love seats.  

I used to love them, now I hate them. 

The arms are too bulky, the floral pattern on the fabric is not my favorite 

and they are quite worn from my children using them as trampolines.

I do not hate them nearly as much after removing one of the giant back pillows. 

They used to look like this. 

And a reminder of how lonely the corner looked before the table moved in. 

Ahhhh, much better, even if it a temporary solution. 

I also addressed this area.

I took down the sheers.  When we originally renovated the house, we did not replace this giant window.  As soon as we moved in, we realized that was a huge mistake.  After making all the other improvements and having everything freshly painted, the giant ugly window stuck out like a sore thumb.  Three weeks after moving in, we replaced it.  I had added the sheers to mask the ugliness of the original window and even after replacing it, I put them back up.  We get a ton of afternoon sun in this room and I was afraid the furniture and rug would fade quickly.  When I realized our windows are made from a Low E glass I realized the streaming sunlight wouldn't be as big of an issue as I had thought.  Down went the sheers and I am kicking my self for not doing this a long time ago.  I love the extra light we get in here now and if the brightness is a problem, I will just pull them shut a bit.   

I also brought back in the dark stained table that was originally there. 

I think I will paint it glossy black or dark charcoal. 

You can see on the left where I am playing around with some trim options. 

I pinned up some trim I had on hand.  The first option is a navy/charcoal trim.

I also happend to have some deep blue velvet ribbon in my stash and I tacked some of that up.  

I am loving this one.  What's your vote?

At dinner tonight, I was intently staring at the windows in the kitchen.  

My husband got scared and immediately inquired about what I was planning. 

You'll have to wait and see......

BAFFLING BAY WINDOWS

I love a good bay window, but sometimes when it comes to adding window treatments, I'm a bit baffled.  Our bay window sat naked for quite some time while I pondered what to do with it.  I finally decided on drapes and sheers.  I admit, I am not completely loving the sheers, but as you can see, we get a ton of light in this window, especially in the afternoon.  Our rug and furniture would be ruined by the streaming sunlight without these sheers.  So for now, it works.  

One of these days, when I tire of all the color in this room, I would love to go neutral with linen slipcovered love seats, cream panels and bamboo blinds.  This room makes me drool just a bit.  

How gorgeous are those windows?

If I had a window seat, I think this would be a great option.  

I can see myself curling up with a good book and possibly hiding out by closing the curtains 

I adore this casual look.  We just had dinner at some friends' new house on Sunday.  

It's actually a very old home oozing with charm. 

They have a beautiful bay window in the dining room that they want to add treatments to.  

There is a window seat underneath and the windows are leaded glass.  

She is thinking of doing something similar to this.  

They want privacy in the evening, but of course, 

they want to showcase the beautiful leaded glass most of the time.  

She will likely choose a more formal fabric, but I think this style is a great option for them.  

I looking forward to seeing what she decides on.  

Can't believe I didn't smuggle my camera in during our visit.  Next time, I promise.

Patience Pays Off

I know I have claimed before to not have any patience, but in this one instance, I practiced patience and it paid off.  I have been on the hunt for a piano for several years.  I would find one and it would be the wrong color, or in bad shape, or too expensive.  Well, you know, from my Thrifty Thursday post last week, that I finally found "The One".  And just to remind you, "The One" ended up being $75!!!

Yesterday, we had it delivered.  Here it is in it's new home. 

Pretty sweet, right? 

My favorite piece of furniture had to be moved to the living room when we got the sectional. I wasn't crazy about the blue color against the stonington gray walls, but it is growing on me.  I had originally wanted to put the piano on the wall left of the bay window, but the french door would not open and close with the piano there.

I am not loving the only two dark wooden pieces of furniture on opposite walls from one another, but I can live with it for now.  Someday, I would love to have floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves, painted the color of the trim, where the buffet sits.  A girl can dream.  

This is what it looked like in the thrift store. 

Looks much better in its new home, doesn't it?  

Piano: $75

Piano moving: $150

Tuning:  $75

Total:  $300 

(not too shabby, if I do say so myself!)

Linking to:
Miss Mustard Seed

A Home Tour

I am so excited to have a lot of new readers, so I thought I would take you all on a little tour of our home.  So far, I have shown you most of the rooms in our house, but I'm holding out on showing you our third floor (playroom and guest room) because I still need to finish up some projects up there.  It won't be long.

Let's get going.  I'll start with the front of the house.  Be sure to check out the before pictures here.

Come on into the foyer.  Before pictures here. 

Off the foyer is the new and improved powder room. Before pictures here.

To the right of the foyer is the casual living room. This room has come a long way. Check out the before pictures here. 

Just off the living room is the office/den.  This room has become one of our favorite hang out spots.  See before pictures here.

These built-ins were already here, we just revamped them a bit.

Through the foyer, in the heart of the home, is the kitchen and dining room.  These two rooms got complete makeovers. See before pictures here.  

More before pictures here. 

Off the kitchen is the mudroom and pantry.  This room was previously a sun porch on the end of the house.

Having this space helps keep our family organized.

The pantry is a huge help with storage.

Just off the kitchen/dining room is the gathering place, our family room.  Before pictures here. 

The fireplace got a facelift as well.

This ceiling is one of my favorite features in our home. 

We spend a lot of time in this room, specifically gathered around this table, playing games, coloring, eating popcorn and building legos.

Now, let's head upstairs.

This is the master bedroom.  Before pictures here.

Down a little hall in the master bedroom is the master bathroom which was previously a small bedroom.  Before pictures here.

My daughter's room is across the hall.  It was formerly the master bedroom.  Before pictures here.

A small, but full bathroom is located off her bedroom. Before pictures here.

My boys' room is just down the hall.  It has quite a story behind it.  You can read all about it here.

Right next to their bedroom is bathroom they share.  Before pictures here. 

Hope you enjoyed the tour.  I am linking up to Poppies at Play Parade of Homes Party today.  Go on over and check out all the lovely homes.

Also, check back Monday night for my very first giveaway! I'll have all the details for you then.