My Bar Cart.

How cool is this piece I stumbled upon at a secondhand furniture store?! Old ice box...

...turned bar cart.

Such a fun addition to our living room. Hope you're having a beautiful Monday!

Closet Half Way Point.

Incase you forgot the before...

Here's a bit of the after. It still needs quite a bit of zhushing and styling, but so much better than the before.

The IKEA system is wonderful. I love how easy it was to customize and create exactly the set up you're after.
It's so nice having a space to see everything finally- I feel like my clothes have always been all over the place (and the floor). But even if you don't have a walk-in closet, you could install a set exactly like mine above along a wall of a bedroom and curtain off the whole thing. I wish I had done this in my apartment with a small closet.
Remember that cedar wall I was excited (and nervous) to install? Well it worked! It looks great and imparts texture, character, and the faint smell of cedar. Win, win, and win.
Don't mind the white peaking through. We still need to fill a few gaps.

We have a nook in one corner that has drawers. I love these things. They're on the shallow side so each drawer is filled with one type of clothing and there isn't wasted space.
Scarved in one, shorts in another, unmentionables neatly organized in a third.
Summer, me and my shorts are ready for you!

A Before So Bad It Gets Its Own Post.

You'll never believe what's living within these four walls now. So much better than that Pepto-Bismol pink explosion of a bathroom!

Here's a sneak peak of what you can find in there now...

Makes me one happy girl!

Bedroom Updates.

Some changes in the bedroom since the other day. I love how there's so much more life in that space now, yet it still feels relaxing and retreat-like.

The swing arm lamps look great and make reading in bed feel like such a treat.

I picked up these framed birdies at a favorite secondhand furniture store of mine. They are full of color but are still a bit subdued. I'm using these pieces as my jump point now for additional color and will pull a green from them for the side tables. I'm seeing blue plaid or buffalo check curtains to really finish off that wall as a focal point of the space.

I also found this little guy for $5 that adds some visual interest to the floor.

Can't wait to have this space finished! So close...

Grid Art How To.

The grass cloth in our master bathroom has been crying out for some art.

I wanted to keep it inexpensive but not skimp on size. A collection of images hung in a grid pattern did the trick!



The frames were $6 each at Michaels. I bought a Birds of the Wetlands book at a local discount store for $4. (Sidenote: loving the graphic quality of the flocks of birds!!) Any coffee table book should be full of images great for framing. So for around $40 I got six pieces of art, that combined take up a substantial amount of wall space. How great would it be to double the amount of frames and hang this over a sofa?! The book has so many more beautiful images I didn't use. Huge impact for under $100!

Now for the tedious task of getting them from this...

to this.

I tried a new method for hanging a grid collection.

Basically I laid out the grouping of frames the way I wanted them to look on the wall (only image side face down on the ground).

Then I laid a piece of clear plastic larger than the collection over the grouping and traced the frames and marked where nails needed to be placed based on hook location.

Then I hung the plastic on the wall and hammered in nails where the marks suggested.

That being said, this method wasn't perfect. I think part of this is to blame on the fact that the plastic I used was crinkly. If you use a fresh piece of wax paper I think you'd get better results. Since this method wasn't perfect, I used one of my favorite apps for some additional help. Have you guys heard of the GyroLeveler? I don't even carry a leveler with me anymore. This free app works so well I was even able to use it when I installed subway tile in the half bath.

Even prettier when you get a double dose reflected in the mirror!

Currently.

Is it just me or is all this sunshine and bird chirping really making the week fly by?! It's Wednesday already...?

Here's what's been keeping me busy the past few days.

Trying to get this master of ours into some sort of order. We've been sleeping in some pretty boring confines for the past month. I've been dying to execute this amazing (fingers crossed) DIY and finally most of the supplies have come in. So excited to get this one underway!

I scored this huge framed canvas for $30 and measuring in at about 4 feet by 6 feet, hotel liquidation sales might be my new favorite thing! Possibly one of my best scores to date. The frame will get lacquered out and in place of the dull hotel art I'll paint an ocean landscape. I want to keep this one modern and fresh and avoid a tacky beach scene. Wish me luck!

Fell so in love with this laundry room Nate designed I placed my order for the same wallpaper that night! Can't wait to get it up in our foyer. And you just can't beat the price: $16 / roll !! Do yourself a favor and watch it if you haven't already. You'll thank me!

Gorgeous subdued fabric story taking shape for a client. This room is going to be a stunner!

Art to be hung in the master bathroom. Such an inexpensive installation. Details to come!

I'm off to run some errands and pick up some goodies for myself clients. Cannot wait to get in that car, put the windows down and turn up the music.

A Little Pretty For The Walls.

So excited it's Friday! I've got a lot of DIY-ing planned for this weekend I can't wait to get it underway. Any fun plans? Also excited to share this project with you today. One of those that makes me happy every time I look at these beauties!

A few summers ago I found this pair of frames for $6 at a garage sale. I was instantly drawn to the faux bamboo frames and new with a little love these guys could be transformed.

The art in them wasn't particularly bad, but the dingy background never seemed to work with my decor. Part of me still looks at them and really wishes they worked, but they just didn't. I'm a long time lover of Natural Curiosities, and love these prints in particular. But sadly they are beyond out of my price range at this point.

But that didn't stop me! Here's how I recreated the look for less.
I traced the size of the art onto a piece of Kraft paper. I have a roll of it but paper grocery bags do the trick, too.

Next I watered down white paint so it was thin enough to be transparent on the paper. I wanted the paper to look textured somewhat like linen so I brushed white across the entire paper vertically. Next I brushed the same way horizontally to give a cross hatched texture.

I didn't have any ink on hand, so I mixed blue and black water color to achieve the same look. Then I simply freehanded flowers, trying not to be overly perfect with the thickness of the lines and the flower in general. If you're not comfortable going freehand, sketch the flower out first then paint over your lines. If you really don't fancy yourself an artist, have your kids draw the flowers. The beauty of line drawings like these is the imperfect quality to them. Even if the "ink" gets smudged a bit it looks great!

While I had the frames off, I gave them a few coats of spray paint. I started out with a dark blue, but it was too bright. So while it was still wet I took some black spray paint I had on hand and sprayed a light coat on top of the blue. I love the color I got from this technique. Practically black with a bit more character.

Not the most revolutionary DIY, but I love the idea of taking really inexpensive (garage sale, thrift shop, estate sale finds etc.) frames of great quality and making them your own. Framing is uber expensive so this is a great way to get the look for less. And even if you're not an artist you can always use the frames for a pair of photos or art you purchase online.

Happy weekend!

Bedroom Before and After.

This bedroom was an exercise in restraint. My client wanted a peaceful place to go at the end of the day. A padded headboard and neutral color palette were also on her wish list. The before pictures include the previous home owners furniture and decor.

Before:

After:

We scaled back on the furniture. Smaller size night stands suit the clients storage needs and make the space feel larger.

Hotel linens are a tried and true classic and work with almost any design style.

This fabric was our starting point. My client and I both feel in love with it and planned the rest of the room around the curtains!

The wonderful shape of the headboard is highlighted by the nailhead trim. I love the toughness it lends to the curvy shape.

Mercury glass, silver, and natural finishes combine for a very tranquil look.

I love bedrooms that are a retreat. Such a luxury!