DIY Blogger House

This past week, I got to go out with my sister and darling niece to the Salt Lake City Parade of Homes.  Of course, one of the homes that I was excited to see was the DIY Blogger House in Daybreak.  I haven't been able to get it out of mind ever since.  I hope that they are able to share a lot more details about the whole house as there are some pretty fantastic rooms in there that are not featured. 

via Tatertots & Jello

First off, the outside of the home is fantastic.  I love the combination of the finishes and colors.  Who wouldn't want to come home to a happy yellow door?  Loved the bench and planters on the front porch.  I've been pondering a bench for our front "porch" ever since.  Especially something with some great character as this.

quick iphone photo

Coming in, the layout of the home is fantastic.  Every angle that you see is pleasing to the eye.  I like a pleasing view.  The view down the hall was a favorite.  The trimmed out wall and barn door added so much character without adding clutter. 

via Tatertots & Jello

Turn to your left and there was a great sitting room.  Really liked the decor, especially the pillows on the sofa and the family tree.  The ceiling was looking pretty spiffy too.  I'm secretly wanting to trim out our ceiling in our front room.  Think I can talk the muscles into it?  Lighting was all great in the house.

via Tatertots & Jello

 To the right was the study that Tatertots & Jello did.  It was even better in person!  Really liked her curtains and that lovely desk.  Must make the chandelier! 

 via Tatertots & Jello

The mudroom really utilized the space nicely.  As a mother of (almost! 8 weeks left!) 4 kids, I could really love this space. 

via the idea room

Of course the kitchen had me at hello.  I LOVED the kitchen.  I've pinned a billion and a half white kitchens on Pinterest and have been getting the courage up to paint my cabinets for a while now.  The gray subway and pretty granite was a nice touch.  I didn't snap any pictures of the kitchen (duh!) and had to really search for a picture.  The dining room was darling.  The chandelier was killer and House of Smith's did a nice staging job in the hutch and pantry.

via Pinterest

Really liked the textured Flor tiles and velvet sofa in the family room off the kitchen.  The sofa table reminded me of something my mom would of brought home from her years living in Iran before I was born.

lamo iphone picture but you get the gist

The BEST part of the whole house (for me) was the fantastic yard!  I desperately WANT an pergola with hanging daybed at my house.  No words can express how much I would love this patio setup. 

I loved the vintage door arbor.  I loved the water saving landscaping.  I have a black thumb in gardening.  I've successfully killed many hardy plants these past few years including box woods, blue salvia and shasta daisies.  Those are hardy plants folks!  That takes talent.  But back to the house not dead yard.  The landscaper included tutorials for the daybed and arbor so we can all dream of having enough funds to make this lovely spot at our own homes.

Upstairs, the bedrooms were cute.  My niece died over the babies room artwork and immediately made plans to make it for her own nursery.  I'm still wanting a Jenny Lind crib for this baby but having a hard time justifying it since I already own a solid crib.

via Crap I've Made

The laundry room was so perfection.  I LOVED the wallpaper and this cute yellow wood art looked like something fun to make. 

via the idea room

They don't show enough of the master bedroom and none of the master bath online.  It's fantastic people!  I don't think that I would ever come out of the bathroom.  It was a spa retreat and even though not all of the finishes were my taste, it was pretty darn close to perfection.  This was the chandelier above the tub and check out the wall trim.

quick iphone pic

So, walking away (with a tear in my eye) from this house, I decided to figure out how to incorporate some of it's charm to my home.  While the style of my house and it is vastly different, I can still learn something from it right? 

1. Trim is everything.  Trim out the doors, walls, ceilings and windows.  It's amazing what a little bit a lot of MDF will do.
2. Pretty lighting makes a big impact.
3. Cohesive color palette makes a nice visual flow through the main living areas.
4. Must paint my kitchen white.  I can't stop loving it!
5. Smart choices in landscaping (and watering!) really bring some personality to the home. Save, save and save some more to add that daybed and pergola to our yard.



via House of Smiths

I hope you enjoyed this recap of this pretty fun house.  It was one of the highlights of the tour for me!  I wish that I would of brought my camera instead of all of the iphone photos, but it helps me remember what I liked.  I've made it's own board on Pinterest for more information.   I hope that the DIY blogger team will provide many more details once the tour is over.  We must know more about it!



Star Wars Wallpaper

Are you kidding me?  Star Wars wallpaper.  My boys would die over this! 

Autumn Letters

I found a post today that I had forgotten about. Since I loved my Summer letters so much, I decided to make myself a set of Autumn letters.

Unlike my September wreath that is full of color, this one lent itself to be more neutral with shades of brown, copper, and cream. Mmm...I love ribbon.

It's a toss up on my favorite paper on this.  Either it's the "M" or the "A and U".  Depends on the day,  but the "M" has had the upper hand for a while now.

I have officially decided to make them for each season but I can't help but itch to make something with richer colors for November.  Monthly words is something that I don't really want to do but somehow, it keeps creeping up in my mind.  Halloween needed "Haunted". (I guess I never shared those either.)  Christmas will want something different, why not November too?

Today, it doesn't feel much like Autumn.  I took the kids to the movie this afternoon and we came out to a huge snow storm.  Now they are enjoying the snow and I'm enjoying the warmth of my house.  That is what I'm thankful for today.

Mums the Word

Word Problem:  

What takes three small mums, 
an ice bucket, 
and a silver thrifted platter?

My Autumn chair decoration of course! 

This project was as simple as could be. Inexpensive too coming in a just under $6.  Not bad for something that makes me happy.  Proof that it's the little details that make me happy.

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**Come join me over at Ribbon Scissor's today!  I'm showing off my new Autumn decor including my Autumn letters that I like so much!  Witches Brew class is next week!  Space still available so come and join us!**

Have a lovely weekend! 

Fall Fabric Bunting

Remember said crafty friend that is more crazy then I am?  After seeing my 4th of July banner festivifying my humble abode, she promptly decided that she needed a new banner each month festivifying her abode.  Then I laughed and said "Each month?  Why so crazy?".  She swayed me over to the dark side and we've been making them every month, ever since.

Since I didn't really go traditional with my Fall wreath, I had some editing to do to my banner to make it work.  Fortunately, I found the perfect fabric that tied everything together.  I love this orange floral!  Found at Hancock by M'Liss I believe.

I had my banner up for about 3.2 seconds before I remembered that I had some vintage chenille pom-poms in my stash.  70's perfect orange!

September 29th and my September decor for the front porch is finally done!  I'm already excited to put it out next year.

Now onto Halloween  projects! I am very excited about them!

Linked to: Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday

Autumn Wreath

Thankfully, I've found a friend that is as crazy as I am and loves to craft.   The two of us feed off of each others ideas and voila!  Craftin' together 'til 2am.  Yes, the husbands find us insane.  Actually, she's probably crazier then me since she's the best at taking it up a notch or two!  For example; I like to decorate for the seasons. Crafty friend likes to decorate for each month. She's rubbing off on me.

Septembers' makings have taken most of September to make, but, they've been worth it.  We got together and made ourselves some insanely cheap wreaths to adorn our front doors.   Cheap as in hers was less the $5 and mine was FREE since I had all the supplies on hand.  We were both surprised at how relaxing the flower making was and how much we enjoyed it.  Completely satisfying project.

We got a kick out of how different they ended up even though we used the same felt.  Each was so different, but I love both of them! 

 Her wreath is warm and autumnal with pretty rich colors and faux acorns.  

I really love the clusters of flowers.  She was a master of that type of flower.

Mine, of course, didn't have a plan.  I just picked a color I liked,  made it a flower, then placed it on the wreath filling in as a went.  I'd say that mine is more Indian Summer rich colored inspired.

I loved the big loopy teal and rolled mustard flower.  I was master of making them big.  Fun fact; the orange felt was the back of a 70's calendar.

Best part was the beautiful lace scraps from the making of her wedding gown.  (We aren't crazy enough to cut that up!)  Totally made it.

These wreaths have been up for a week or more and was exactly the happy project that I was searching for.   Thank you crazy girl for a (very late) night of fun!

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Linked to Rhoda's Fall decor party - go there to check out lots of door decor ideas!
Just a Girl

Thinking about my black and white striped rug...

I recently bought this rug after debating it for years....

IKEA Rand

I found it practically brand new in the local classifieds.  When I buy something that I can't return, I have to think of at least two places I could use it.  For this rug, I wanted it for the front room but also think that it could work in the boys room, my daughters room or the spare room and even our master (if I ever think that it could be cute in there.).  How 'bout them beans?  

Now that it is here, how to decorate with it? I've got a whole lot of solid, neutral colors going on in the front room.  Brown, gray, cream....

Remedy -  lots of color and patterns.  

Problem - no cashola.  

Solution -  good ol' fashioned re-purposing and DIY projects.  (eek! mooore projects!)

So, which way am I gonna go?  

Answer:  Um, hopefully good! 

I do like this room very much which really looks very neutral with a pop of green.

And this room:  

from TradHome via Danielle Oakey Interiors

And the chevron pillows and rustic tables in this mood board:  

via danielle oakey

and this house tour caught my eye because of the rug :  

Oh!  And of course this in the works design plan.  I love just about everything in her home.

via Making It Lovely

So I know that I love the rug, now to hopefully make it work.  Aah!  Ideas welcomed. 

Simple Shadow Box Art

My sister had sent my daughter these beautiful, beaded shoes while she lived in India.  Unfortunately for us, little sweetness feet were too deliciously chubby for them.  I tucked these beauties away to keep them safe.  See how pretty the beading is?

Little sweetness is now big sweetness and her room is being reworked.  Together, we put together this simple shadow box.  She picked out the background paper and got to squeeze the hot glue on the back of the shoes.  She was so excited making it and told me how she wanted to be a crafter just like me when she grows up.  She was thrilled when I informed her that she already was.  You should see the constant stream of art and projects that she churns out!

 

A simple, but rewarding and meaningful project.  We love the way that it turned out.



Painting a dresser....

I've been searching on and off for the past few months for a bigger dresser for my daughter's room.  She's been growing way too fast and her tall, skinny dresser just wasn't big enough for her skinny jeans obsession.  Happily, I scored this sa-weet vintage dresser for just $30!  It even covered all my requirements.  Solid wood, dove tail joints, clean lines and vintage style.  I can't tell you how many ugly, flimsy dressers that I looked at for nearly triple the price of this little gem.

Then, it sat in our car port for nearly a month waiting for me to paint it. The rainy weather would not co-operate,  Finally, I drug that heavy dresser in myself and went to work on it in her room.  It was a pretty color wood before, just in less then pristine condition.

imagine it with drawers :)

Now satin black prettiness. I was originally going to change out the hardware, but the worn brass was just right for this room.

I love the little brass detail on the legs.

Of course, one project leads to another and as you can see, I immediately went to work painting her walls lavender like she had requested.  (I've had the paint ready to go for um, something like 2 months?) I like the purple walls. She likes the purple walls. Win-win!

Oh, and just to prove that I'm not in charge at all when it comes to decorating, here is her dresser just minutes after I styled it.

And that's just fine by me.

More Kitchen Love

It's no secret that I would love a fresh, crisp white kitchen with subway tiles, pretty countertops (dark or light) in a flat, honed finish and a worn wood floor.  (Found here and here.)  However, after seeing what my white appliances look like at the end of the day, it would be one hot mess in there all of the time!

I saw this kitchen today and fell in love!  Such a pretty, warm cabinet color mixed with a crisp white backsplash.  I have to say that the fabric makes the room.  It wouldn't be so fabulous without it.  Of course, the beautiful dishes and vintage collections don't hurt either.

via urban grace interiors

Be sure to read her before/during, reveal and the details post to soak up all the loveliness of this kitchen.  Love, love, love!!

Dream of our Old Home

Last night, I dreamt that we re-bought our old house.  It was kindof a strange dream.  I think it was brought on because I found this picture I took of my littles sitting on the doorstep yesterday. 

Oh how I love this little picture.  That was his version of smiling that month.  Cowboy boots with shorts, check!  She was just as sassy at one as she is today. 

Anyway....I dreamt that we bought the house and then I did everything that I wanted to do to it when I lived there but didn't.  I didn't do it because we weren't going to stay in that little house for more then 3 years.  And I worried that it wouldn't be as appealing to the masses if I did what I wanted.  I realize now that I was crazy to think that because really, it maybe would of sold faster if it wasn't so plain.

First, I would of added more bushes and plants to the front garden with a rock path from the driveway to the front door.  I would of painted that front door a bright yellow or red.  I would of made it look more like the little cottage that it was at just under 900 sq feet. ( It was something like 15 big steps from the front door to the back door and the most efficient use of space with not one nook or cranny wasted.   I could clean the house from top to bottom, front to back in just 2 1/2 hours!)

In my dreams, I enjoyed the freshly painted kitchen cupboards with the brushed silver pull handles (that I did buy but never installed) instead of worrying that the next owner would think that they weren't new cabinets.  I enjoyed the wood laminate floors that I wanted.  Much easier to clean then the big expanse of light vinyl that showed everything.

The front room would of gotten some color and hung something above the sofa.  And dark red and dark green?  I've never really liked those colors, but, I thought that was what you were supposed to do.

Those were just a few of things that I wished I'd done.  Silly dream?  Sure.  But looking back, those were little things, most not too expensive, that I could of done to make my house more our home.  It was a long process selling that house.  I see now that if I had done more of these things, my house may have been more appealing.  Hopefully, I've learned something from that experience.  Hopefully, I've learned to love and make my house now, my home.

World Market Rug

I found this rug today while vegging out in front of the computer... 



world market rug

Yup.  Pretty much in love with it.  My front room is in desperate (okay maybe a little dramatic there) need of a new rug.  Preferably one with lots of color.  'Cause my room needs some color, just like my header.  Color that doesn't match what is in there.  'Cause I like it like that. 

My birthday is coming up next week.  How about a BIG present for me this year honey?

LOVE this kitchen!

I've been keeping my eye on this kitchen evolution and love how it turned out!  Oh how I would love to have the space, the light-filled brightness just makes me happy.  Of course, my favorite color combination of blue, gray, plenty of white and pops of yellow has a little something to do with my adoration. 

via pure & lovely

via pure & lovely

via pure & lovely

I've been itching to lighten up our dark galley kitchen since the day we moved in.  So much work, but so pretty!

Childrens Art Work

Have you read Houzz?  I like it.  This week, I'm loving this article on ways to display children's art work.  It's something that I really want to incorporate more in our house. 

spaces design by atlanta media and blogs simple thoughts

via Simple Thoughts

We have a large collection of kid-art adorning our fridge, the big magnet board and the doors in the hallway.  I would, however, love to make a display more prominent and important.  Great inspiration! 

I've got some canvases that I bought years ago for the kids to paint and never did.  I think it's time to get them out and let them have at it.

purple-ish-pinky what color?

I went to three fabric stores in search for the perfect colored fabric for my daughters room.  I've got big plans and just need a little fabric to acheive it.  Now that we've taken a turn into the purple side, per daughters request,  I'm embracing it with all my little ol' non-purple lovin' heart and making it a firm, yep-that's-a-purple-room awesomeness. 

I spent an hour perusing the three little fabric stores by my house for the perfect purpleish-pinky color.  Granted, the stores are small, but this color is hard to find!  Finally I found the right color at Ben Franklin's which fabric selection is on the smaller side.  Here's a little sample I brought home to check the color because I forgot to bring a sham with me:

Even though I wanted a solid color, the pattern in this is subtle.  Annnnd, I finally figured out what to call this purple-ish-pinky color after all that perusin'...

magenta.

Yep, magenta.  Der.  Here's the official Wikipedia definition: 

Magenta is a color in between pink and purple. Sometimes it is confused with pink or purple. In terms of the HSV color wheel, it is the color halfway between red and blue and is composed equally of red and blue (50% red and 50% blue). Another name for magenta is fuchsia, named after the fuchsia flower.

Leave it up to me to not really do purple after all. 

I also found some lovely purple-ish-pinky magenta on the clearance rack at Walmart.  Who knew that size 4x womens $3 turtleneck would be such an inspiration!

More Paint

I bumped into a flute friendy, Becky, that was out with her decorator shopping.  She asked me what I was up to and of course, out flooded my dilemma of little Missy's desire for purple paint.  (Seriously over thinking this.)  Becky said that  she painted her bathroom Feather Gray by Behr.  Of course, I had to check it out because if the decorator approves, well, 'nuff said. 

Guess what, it's pretty. 

Feather Gray



 So is the next color on the card, Vintage Taupe:

vintage tuape

  Both comparable with Restoration's Hardware Lilac. 

(What the heck?  The color swatch is now gone?)

 

Guess who is going to get more samples tomorrow?  At this rate, I'm going to be able to paint her walls in a patchwork of purples.