New Bed

We got our new bed yesterday. It is ginormous! I was going to put wallpaper just directly above the bed, but I think that would be too choppy-looking. So I'm going to have the whole wall done instead.

Homemade Artwork

Now that the downstairs is completely painted (YEA!), I can start thinking about accessorizing. For the first time in my life, I have walls in the kitchen for artwork and accessories. Besides a clock, message center, and calendar, this is my first kitchen art. It's like a framed scrapbook page. I photocopied recipes from my great-grandmother's cookbook (in her handwriting) and a picture of me (I don't know if you can tell, but I'm sporting some awesome bell bottoms). I used some red-patterned scrapbook paper that looks like an old-fashioned kitchen tablecloth. At some point I'd like to paint the frame red to really make it pop. And the best recipe that I included: Homemade Soap. My grandma Sherron says she still remembers having to stir it on the stove.

My next project is to hang some shiny copper cookie cutters on the wall, but I'm not sure where yet.

Piano Stool Cushion

I have an old 1917 upright piano with a stool that swivels up and down. I plan on painting the piano but not the stool. Stephanie had a great suggestion of putting a cushion on it to match the living room furniture. So I matched up this turquoise fabric and had someone make it for me. Stephanie suggested her friend's aunt Kathy, who made some beautiful cushions for her dining room chairs. Kathy actually borrowed the seat of the stool and made the cushion fit around it so it won't come off. It's bulkier than I thought it would be but it fits beautifully. And her welting work is lovely! She charged me $35. So if you need someone to make custom cushions for you, let me or Steph know and we'll give you her number.

An Afternoon Project

Yesterday Katie pointed out that the back of the bookcase in the hallway was the same color as the half bath that I really want to change. For a long time this bookcase was completely full of books. Now that the back is more noticeable, I had to do something about it. I used leftover library paint so that it would fit in better.

BEFORE:


AFTER:

The Bedroom Gets Updated

More than any other room, the master bedroom was in desperate need of fresh paint. We think that it had not been repainted in 25 years. It was scuffed, dingy, and had lots of holes in it. Now, it's a light blue that matches this wallpaper that I'm going to use as a feature behind the headboard. I also painted the ceiling a quarter of the color of the wall. I was terrified, but Benjamin Moore's flat paint doesn't drip. It turned out great.

Disclaimer: The lighting in the room isn't great right now, as we removed the existing chandelier and scones for painting (and updating), so it's hard to show the color as it really is.

We ordered bedroom furniture this week, but it's going to take 8 to 10 weeks to get it. So it's going to be awhile to see the finished room.

I Am on a Roll, People!

Things have moved along quickly the past few days on the home-decorating front. On Monday we ordered living room furniture from Candise Olsen's line at Norwalk, and yesterday we ordered bedroom furniture from Ethan Allen. Today I painted the ceiling in the bedroom (which seemed to go surprisingly well; I'll be able to tell once it's fully dry) and tomorrow I'm painting the bedroom. Today I got some new wallpaper samples in for the foyer. I changed my mind about the one I had picked out. I liked it, but it just didn't flow well with the rest of the colors I had painted. So I think that a paper with red in it would work better: The library behind this feature wall is painted red, plus I'm using red accents in the living/family room and the kitchen. I have also decided to use turquoise accents in the living room to coordinate with the kitchen, so I have a few papers up that have turquoise in them. I have marked my favorite papers with blue post-it flags. If you can see them well enough, please let me know which ones you like. The ones I have marked have colors in them that match the existing foyer paint color, which would be very helpful. I am leaning toward a floral design since Pottery Barn's twig hat rack would coordinate nicely, but I do like the modern circles too.

I should have a post on the new bedroom color soon. Picking a color has been harder than all of the other rooms, but I think that we finally found one.

NOTE: Click on a photo to enlarge, or you're welcome to stop by my house to see them in person if you're in the neighborhood.

The Perfect Kitchen Clock

I've looked online several times for a kitchen clock with a red metal rim but have found nothing. And then one day as I was walking through Target, I spotted this clock that was made just for my kitchen. The red rim was just what I wanted, it has a blue circle on the inside that looks like a lighter version of my wall color, and I love the style of the numbers. Thank you, Target.

What I've Been Doing for the Past Month

I've been taking a Copperplate Calligraphy class. The last class was last night. This is the first thing I've made with it. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty proud of it. The pen is old-school: It has a nib and you actually dip it in ink!

Library Classic With a Twist

When I saw this globe mobile at Z Gallerie last fall, I knew that it would be perfect in our traditional-looking library. I loved the look of the old-world globes on it, and by hanging it from the ceiling, it freed up floor space that a traditional globe would have taken up.

Big Style, Small Space

I saw Benjamin Moore's Peony color in some blog post about color forecasts for this year, and I HAD to use it somewhere. So I decided to decorate my closet. I ordered more efficient shelving from The Container Store and bought a chandelier from Lowe's. I wonder if I'll regret this in five years...

Before, the drab and ineffecient closet



And now. It makes me happy every time I look at it.

My Life Is Now Complete

now that I've had my picture taken with Will Ferrell!

New Craft Table

Somehow I discovered these awesome craft cubes at Target, which were being discontinued. So I went to three different Targets to get enough to make a desk. We ordered this countertop to make a long table. This is going to be a great work space. It's long enough for two people to work here at the same time, and I'll be able to keep scrapbook and card stuff spread out while I use the other table for sewing. And the cubes are great for holding paper and supplies.