A little spring

I've done a bit of spring decorating around here. Like I said before, I tried to keep pretty and simple.

 

I sure do enjoy decorating my piano... here is the other side of it:

My mantel didn't turn out quite as I would have liked, but it is more simple. It may look bland to me because I was so used to the pretty Christmas/wintery decor I had up there. All that greenery had a bit heavier look.

I even added a bit of spring to the dining room. Does anyone care for a "spot of tea?" :)  

Just a bit of news: one of the reasons I wanted to keep things simple is because we have listed our little home for sale! We truly feel God's leading in this decision and are excited for a new step in our lives. We will be staying in the same general area, but feel that it is time to say goodbye to our little "starter home." Please help us pray that God would work all things out in His perfect time - that He would send the right buyer for our house and help us to find the right home for us to raise our family. :) 

Oh, and Friday is the second Friday in March already! Be ready with your finished objects and I will try to be on time this week in posting! :) 

A little here, a little there...

As I've been going through my day at home recently, I've been trying to see our home through "fresh" eyes. Trying to catch on to the little things that I can change (without spending $$) to help spruce things up and help make more sense decorative-wise. :)

Last week I started looking around my kitchen. (I've been wanting to spruce up the kitchen for a while.) I took a second look at these plates here:

 

And decided they would look much better over my pantry! (More in proportion to the space.)

Yes, I like that much better!!

When you live in a place and see it every day, sometimes you don't notice the obvious. Taking pictures of your home helps you notice different things that you might like to change (like the stacks of clutter that have been there so long you don't even see them anymore. Oh. That's just me?) ;)  Case in point:

Yes. We've lived here over five years and I just last week noticed that the light over my sink is off center! wow. :)

What I would really like above my sink is a pendant lamp! Maybe one like this:

Source: homedepot.com via Charity on Pinterest

Hopefully soon my kitchen will get a little remodel! Maybe then I'll get a new light! :)

Finished!! (well...almost...)

Ready for some before and afters? Well, we'll start with a "after" because I like the pretty pictures to be first! heehee!

 

Just to get everything in perspective... this is what our bedroom looked like from the time we moved in, until about a year ago...

But I was ready for a change - here was my "let's see how this looks" photo...

Then with some help from a friend - it looked like this:

 

 Look how similar the paint ended up! (well... it looks pretty close in person - it's sooo hard to get colors right on the camera!) :)

A few weeks ago, you saw this:

Now look!

I still want to get a wreath for the big frame, then hang the "M" on top of that, but I haven't found one yet. Something similar to this. (Anyone know why HobbLobb doesn't carry pretty wreaths???) Any ideas where to find one for a good price? :)

But in all, I've been tickled with how this turned out. The funny thing was that I orginally planned to paint everything cream, but decided to first hang it all and see how I liked it. After getting everything hung, I'm so glad I didn't paint anything!! I love it just the way it is! :)

And this picture?

I just got it for the frame! But once I got it home (and out of the "thrift shop pile of frames") I REALLY liked it, and it matches perfectly! And brings something a little different than just empty frames or mirrors. Just goes to show, you never know! Give something a try and you might just like it, right?? :)

Family Room Tour

Our family room has been a work in progress ever since we moved into our house four(!) years ago. It's hard to believe we've had our house that long.  :)  In the beginning, we rarely used it at all except for storage. It was not a very comfortable room. Then last year Mark and I got the attic of that room insulated, and it is a lot more comfortable! (In fact, when our air conditioning went out in May, it was the coolest room in the house!)

Earlier this week I did some rearranging (and purging - mostly books...). I was able to store our old kitchen table in the shed which freed up a lot more space and just made the room LOOK bigger! :)

Here's the before (old picture... I wish I would have taken one Monday before I started...)

Sorry it's so dark.

and here it is now...

So much more room. Although it still looks full because of what I've added since the first picture was taken - my "coffee table" and the desk and chair...

We met up with Mark's Aunt and Uncle while we were in Tennessee and they gave me this wonderful little desk. It was original to their local school and probably was made in the 1920's! I love it!! :)

See the ink well??

Here's a couple more areas of the room, that I don't think I've shared before:
This ice chest is to the right when you walk in. I'm "storing it" for my dad! (Maybe he'll forget where he put it....) :) I use it to store our board games and puzzles! Dad also gave me the Coca-Cola dart board, and the tennis rackets are my parents' old ones as well. (I have a couple more hanging elsewhere...)

I also have collected some of the red and white enamelware you see on the bottom - the coffee pot was my mom's parents that they used when they went camping! :) I didn't crop the picture, because I'm rather proud of those two boxes in the background. They are full (or almost full) of books I'm getting rid of! I am really trying to purge some things around here. and now that I WORK at a library, I don't feel that I have to have a big library at home... :)

I love this area as well. It's between the futon and the recliner (on the left wall)

It's my "yarny" display! :) The spools I have picked up at various sales etc. as well as the carder. (To see what carders are and how to use them, click here) The buttons in the jar belonged to my dad's mother. And the biggest treasure here, the trunk, belonged to my Great-Great- Grandmother! I am so honored to have it! :)

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour. This has been a fun room to decorate, and of course I still have ideas of things I would like to do....  :)

A little more decorating...

Friday I shared the little changes I have made in our bedroom. Now I want to share a little of what I have done in our family room. This has been a fun room to decorate. I still have lots of ideas of things I would love to do. :) I have tried to keep it fun-friendly - in other words, breakables to a minimum. However, when I have little ones over, I realize I'm not quite where I want it to be yet! :)

One of the things I've been wanting for a while is some sort of coffee table. A little while back at Hobby Lobby, I found these crates/cubes for half off!

Hmm... it's amazing what you can see when you take pictures. (Sometimes things aren't as obvious in real life.) How do you like that plant peaking over the edge? :) The futon is much higher backed than the other (temporary) couches I have had there. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's actually angled and there are some boxes with an arrangement of ivy, Coke bottles and a Coke tin. Oh, well. Time to rethink that....

But back to my new crates. It's great having something in front of the futon. Before, if you were sitting in the middle, you were out of luck to have a place to set something like a drink. However, if the drink were to spill on the crates, the liquid would go right down on top of whatever is stored underneath. So I solved that problem (I hope!) by making use of my trays.

Speaking of storage... look at what I've got in this one:

Yay! Roving for my spinning wheels. :) The lining in the crates is just attached with velcro, so it's easily washed if necessary. Love that! The crates are also easily pushed out of the way if we need the room.

This room has been getting a lot of use, and has become a favorite hang out. The futon is really comfy. The room does get cluttered pretty easily, though. I need to work on that....

Hope your week is off to a great start!! :)

A small start....

(Disclaimer: this post was written very late at night early in the morning. At which time I tend to get very wordy. and slightly silly. I didn't intend to write a book on decorating when I started, but to simply share a little decorative change I have made in our Master Bath. Feel free to read as you have time.) :)

To me, decorating is a process. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't feel my home is "decorated." Anyway, what would be the fun in having a home that is entirely decorated? Where do you go from there? I guess you re-decorate, but I don't do that often. When I find something I like, I stick with it for a long while... with modifications, of course!

Take my living room. Before we moved in, it looked like this:

BLEH.

The paint itself was a great improvement, though:


I was so happy to get a mantle (translation: shelf).

Yes, definitely an improvement, but still...


The shelves underneath help to ground it. And the curtain helps the room feel homier too, although I realize it needs to be a bit fuller, and ideally lower, but as you can see, I don't really have that option. (wow what a run-on... good thing I only minored in English...) And all the major components and some smaller ones are the same as when we first moved in. It is a very small living room, and I don't rearrange furniture. It works the way it is, and I can't picture it working any other way... (and I love to rearrange furniture in my mind - even for other people's houses. I'm a little strange that way...) :)

So basically, I get stuck in a rut. And as long as I like the rut, I'm happy. But I haven't really been liking our master bath rut for a little while. The "theme" was something I picked a long time ago, I think because I thought it would fit with the style of my home.

Exhibit A: The clock.

The main problem with the clock is it is loud. The secondary problem is although it is a pretty clock, I am getting a little tired of palm trees. They aren't really me, at least not anymore. So bye-bye clock.

Instead, I came up with this:

Which Mark and I are liking much better. The shelf was a bright yellow garage sale find, and I got on a spray painting binge today yesterday, and painted it the dark brown you see. I thought I would want to do a coat of cream and sand it a little for a shabby chic look, but I think I'm liking that color. It really matches the signs. What do you think?

Oh, and NO the shelf isn't decorated yet. (but the frog is pretty proud to be there, isn't he?) And Yes, I realize that is a palm tree shade. It was the only one I could find that didn't clash too badly. It will go as soon as I find what I want there. Hopefully soon.

I think this is my mantra when it comes to decorating:

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” ~Greg Anderson

Welcome, Autumn!

Sweet and smiling are thy ways,
Beauteous, golden Autumn days.
From Autumn Days by Will Carleton



If someone were to ask me what my favorite season is, I would have a hard time answering. I enjoy each season as it come. I love spring with all the beautiful flowers, the return of warmth, and the bird's song. I love lazy summer days, fall crispness, and winter coziness (for a little while). I do enjoy fall probably almost as much as spring. I also love all my fall decorations, and I wanted to share with you!

My mantle is a little different than last year. I am loving the corbels underneath!


I thought my little school girl went perfect in the fall vignette.

I have decorated my coffee table a little differently as well. (The candle holders I have used there are top heavy, and don't work to well for babysitting!) :)



This is the little side table behind the couch - it's where I keep all the toys. It's also a little extra display area for my dollstones.

Thanks for stopping by and taking my little tour! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm off to make supper - Brittany's Chicken and Dumplin's!

Finished Object Friday

I didn't give you all much warning this week, but today is Finished Object Friday! :) My project is the second of the two I referred to a couple of weeks ago. (The lamp was the first one.) I am happy to have this one finished! :)

The curtains!

Mom and I found these at a local thrift store:

With a little spray paint (of course!) they look a lot better and fit in with my living room. Thanks, Brittany, for the curtain idea!

If you look closely, you will see that the mantle has also received an upgrade. Here it is before:

I got some little shelves to accent (and add some needed support)! I think they really dress it up, and help make it look part of the wall. Here's another current picture:


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What projects have you had up your sleeve? I'd love for you to share! If you are new to FOF, find out more about it here. Happy Friday!

A little decorating...

I've been doing a little here and there to our guest bedroom. I still want to get it painted in the near future, but I've been more focused on other projects at the moment. :)

The theme of this room is a cross between gardening and nature. These pictures were my inspiration. It was love at first sight when I saw them.

The rack on the left was a gift from my sweet mother-in-law. The top holds a bird's next that I found in my yard - it had fallen from the tree - and some neat looking plastic eggs. She also gave me this awesome galvanized watering can.

Last month I found some little watering can figurines by my (new) favorite artist - less than a dollar for both!!

Can you find Peter in the picture below?
He looks quite at home in my little garden room, provided Mr. McGregor isn't anywhere around! :)

(Hint: On the bed, peeking out!)

The room is coming together! The next steps should be paint and curtains. I'm not in a big hurry, though. :) Thanks for coming on the little tour of my guest bedroom! Drop in again to visit!

For more great show and tells, visit Kelli's blog! :)

Finished Object Friday

"Well begun is half done."
~Aristotle~

"And truer words were never spoken."
~ME~

Ok, so I'm not the first to say that last quote, but it certainly applies in this case. :) I finally finished it!!! WHEW, again!

I wasn't in the mood to make this. I didn't even really want to make it. But, it needed to be done and I made myself finish! I had already cut out the long pieces (the solid black and red strips), so I only had to cut out the patterned pieces. I started sewing yesterday and got all but the backing done. After work, I decided that I wanted to get it DONE! (Besides, I wanted to post it here tonight... great motivation!) It certainly isn't my best sewing job, it ended up a little wonky, but it's DONE! :)

I think it makes the family room look so cozy to have them both finished. It is becoming more and more a welcoming room. Very relaxing, cozy and playful, although it is still a work in progress! (I still need shelves for those boxes of books!)

So how about you? Anything finished (or a step of it finished) that you would like to share?
Click here for guidelines on Finished Object Friday.
Click here for other FOF's.

Finished Object Friday

It's Friday! I hope everyone has had a good week. I have, although I've been busy, but that's half the fun! :) I have done so many various and sundry projects recently. (over the past month or so, not just this week.) I never knew that I would become such a "crafty" person! And I probably never could have guessed that I would enjoy sewing as much as I have. But surprise! I've been sewing again this week. Wednesday feels like a sewing day to me for some reason.

Anyway, here is what I did:

The motivation behind this project is that I'm almost out of the Mary Engelbreit napkins I picked up for $1.00 a package several months ago. I thought that we would try the cloth napkins. My grandmother sent me this material for my birthday last year. I'm finally getting around to using it!


They match my crepe myrtle perfectly!

That's my finished object for this Friday. So here's the deal. I thought it would be fun to share our finished objects! Just do a blog post of your craft - it doesn't even have to be finished, maybe you've just finished a big step of your project! It can be any and all crafts: knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, sewing, magnets... the list could go on... It can also be anything you have done at any time - not just from the past week. (Just as long as it's clean. I reserve the right to remove any links at my discretion.)

How to:
1. Write a post on your own blog. (Include pictures, please!) :)
2. Link back to this F. O. F. post in your post. (guess that really goes with #1, anyway, on to 3!)
3. Link to Mr. Linky below, using the permalink - the link for that specific post.
4. Enjoy looking at everyone else's projects! :)

The Wall

Once upon a time, our house had beautiful landscaping. However, most of it was done with timber that, although treated, in time tends to rot. There is so much to be done when you own your home! Mark's latest project has been replacing a retaining wall with beautiful stone!

It has taken him a while from tearing out the rotten timbers to laying the foundation stones, to (today) finally laying the capstones!! Yay! :)

He has done a good job and I am proud of him. His method of doing a project is to research (go Google!) :) and research and buy materials and carefully finish the job.

I think it looks just great! Here it is in relation to our house!
Excuse the mess... I really need to pull some weeds!

Oh, and the bush to the right needs to be trimmed to the ground.

Anyone have any tips on care for Red-tipped Fotinias?

Have a great Saturday, everyone! I'm off to do some projects! (I'll share later!) :)


Blessings!