Pantry - Before and After

Awhile back when my husband was out of town, I decided to tackle a home improvement project solo. I did this because I knew it would take some convincing to get him excited about taking a weekend to "spruce up the pantry".

It turned out great. This gave me confidence in a few areas; hanging wall paper, using power tools and not asking his opinion before I take on a project - which could be a bad thing...but what's done is done.

Our Pantry/ Landry room is a long and narrow space - like a hallway. I am currently working on organizing the laundry part of it, but the pantry part is done and I am so pleased.

Before - MDF shelving in a wood finish

After - Look what a little bit of paint, fabric and wall paper can do!

I need to give credit where credit is due - this post from Jenny Steffens was my inspiration.

And she was inspired by Eddie Ross.

This little part is a more recent accomplishment - I am so embarrassed of the before picture!

trash can, recycling bin, and dog food...

I bought this utility shelf from Target right after Christmas with high hopes for this space.

And a few supplies in the mean time...

And look what happened in one Friday night - I know, I am quite the socialite...

I bought a pre-made frame at Hobby Lobby and put the chalkboard paint directly on the wall. I had a hard time finding a cute chalk board that was reasonably priced and the right size. This worked out perfectly. - Total Cost for the chalkboard - about $23

I put the chalk and eraser in this cigar box we already had and I found this adorable lamp at an antique store for $18 -It was missing a shade. I knew it had potential, I love the shape of it and it was a steal because it is made out of china.
My only regret with this entire project is not doing it sooner.

I linked upi to Thrifty Decor Chick to share this project.

Inspired

The latest Pottery Barn issue had these images in the front of the catalog and I think it expresses so much of what a lot of us are trying to accomplish this year - Lighten up, Simplify, Organize, Nest, Breathe, Slow down, and Enjoy our surroundings...

Before & After LOVE~

I think we all have to agree how much we love to see before and after pictures of anything...people, makeovers, homes, yards, furniture...I think it is just so inspiring how much something can change with a little bit of vision and hard work.

There is even a blog I follow that is dedicated to posting to Before & Afters, called Better After. Lindsey does a great job of posting instant inspiration for those who love this sort of thing.

That is the same reason I think we are all so drawn to see what something was and what it can become. I came across a project in the Lowe's - Creative Ideas magazine that really got my attention - mainly because I have a bathroom in my house that is the exact same floor plan and needs a little overhaul itself.






I love the white river rock and the white grout...but I would be mortified what it would look like after a week in my house. I also love how they did two panels for a shower curtain. This would work in my house because Libby is the only one who uses the bathtub and it is for a bath - not a shower so water would not be a problem.

I have spruced up our bathroom with little changes like paint and a shower curtain but I have not put this much effort in.
I am definitely inspired to do a little project in this space now but I just need to go one step at a time....

Today bead board is being installed in our master bedroom ceiling and I am so excited...it is going to be great!

Wallpaper - It's Back!

We are on the brink of re-doing our master bedroom and I am searching high and low for the perfect wall covering to use. I want something with texture - just to add a little interest to the wall behind our bed, the accent wall. I went and fell in love with something so outrageously expensive - (easy to do in the design trade) and realized it would never become a reality when the nice ladies at Seabrook explained how this particular one was priced by the yard and not the roll, so basically what I thought would cost about $175 was going to be $1500, yeah - I put that book back on the shelf real quick. The wall behind our bed is a little awkward with lots of cut outs so I was thinking this is where we could splurge a little because I loved it...well, not so much. So back to square one.

I think I have settled on one that will do...so, hopefully soon I will have some before and after pictures to share.

Recently I have used wall covering here and there on some projects. It is back and so much better than it was in the 8o's. I think people who have renovated homes from that decade see to be very hesitant to jump back onto the trend wagon...all they think of is all of the wallpaper they had to strip when they bought their home. I think it is great if it is used the right way and in the right place....as opposed to coordinating mauve and country blue with a border to match!

This is a picture from Cottage Living - I love that they painted the ceiling that blue color and kept the trim uniform with it - the stripes of the wall covering take your eye up...

This is from a Coastal Living issue - this is so interesting to me in this little nook. I think it the pattern does so much more for the space than a solid paint color would.

I love everything about this room - I am very much into green this year. Image is from Southern Living


How fun would this be in a kids room? - courtesy of Coastal Living

Grass cloth is huge this year. I love it in this nursery - so soothing yet stylish

Image from Atlanta Home & Lifestyles magazine

Again loving this mod look of this little guy's room.

Stay tuned on progress from the master bedroom - Before pics have been taken so it is off to the races!

Birds - How Ironic

Let me start this post by saying that I am loving the bird trend these days. Owls, birds, bird cages...I am so drawn to the simplicity and delicacy of it all.

But in life out side of interior design, I am no fan of birds.

I think it stems back to college - there was this one tree outside my window of my freshmen dorm. I think every bird on campus lived in that tree. And after pulling an all-nighter at "the library", a tweeting colony of birds is the last thing I wanted to hear.

Birds also seem to find my car wherever I am parked - yet another reason I am negative nancy when it comes to birds...and what about that Alfred Hitchcock movie? "The Birds" - I mean, if that doesn't weird you out...all those beaks...ughh.

Anyway - back to my love for the booming trend of our little winged friends.

This was brought to my attention this weekend by Jeremy. We are getting ready to re-do our master bedroom and I was trying to paint a picture of what I was going for. So I took him to this store where I found a fabulous custom pillow with none other than a large bird on the front. And he looked at me and said, "You like this? I can't see you liking this." I then had to turn to the sweet lady who was standing there who happened to make the pillow herself and I had to explain that I hate birds in "real life" but loved the pillow and will be purchasing one soon.

I love this adorable storage box from ModMom on Etsy

I love this pattern...and the muted colors - Barbra Kelp Eaton Blue Linen

Adorable tote & pillow from Fig+Sage

And here is one of my favorites by Bumbletees - a local Memphis Company.

I have this owl shirt but army green long sleeve instead of white & I LOVE it.

What about you? Do you have an ironic trend that has started to grow on you that you never thought would? I would love to hear about it.

House vs. Home

Over the past few years - let's say 2 years, we find ourselves pulling the real estate section out of the Sunday paper. We take it with us and just happen to end up "looking" at things in our price range or neighborhoods we love.

This usually ends badly. We walk into an open house - give a very hard working realtor false hope and I begin to arrange furniture and pick out paint colors as we walk through...all the while, Jeremy, being the math whiz that he is has figured out how much the mortgage would be and how much profit we could make on our home, minus the realtor commission etc.

Then the discussion leads to all the projects that need to be done on our house before we consider putting it on the market. We eventually come home to our drafty little abode and begin to realize how much we have put into the place and how much we love it and we are content...until the next Sunday rolls around.

The houses we see, sure they are nice...with lots of space, great insulation and the cherry on top - the bonus room...oh, every fisher price product we own could fit in that one room with space to spare.

But are they home?

Nope, to me a home is something very personal...something that we put our hard work into, painting, re-painting after picking the wrong shade, re-arranging furniture until it is how you want it...swatches hanging on windows until you know you commit to one fabric, the list goes on.

So while these houses are nice...I don't think one becomes a home until you truly invest yourself in it. Not, just financially - but physically & mentally. So, until we find the "one" and complete all of our little projects we will continue to look at all those houses and truly appreciate our home.