Living room update

This is what the living room has looked like the last few months. New layout, new rug. 

Next on the list will be new curtains and new chairs. I want to lighten up the curtains (or 'window blankets' as Kevin insists on calling them). The chairs I still love, but they were inexpensive and the 'leather' is crumbling. Every time someone sits in them, there are tiny little pieces of leather on their pants and on the floor. Very classy. 

Anyway, here are the chairs I want. I haven't purchased them yet. 

And here are the options for new curtains. Which do you like? Ignore the wrinkles and awkward photography, it's sunny today, which makes it hard to take photos of windows. 

Option #1

Option #2

Option #3

Kevin's new sign

Kevin asked Santa for this sign. That is the bathroom door. 

Book shelves (a work in progress)

I've been working on filling and styling the bookshelves. We have LOTS of books, still need to finish filling on with other items. I need something tall in that middle shelf and something for the bottom shelf, I'm not sure what.

Pillows

New pillows in the master! My mom made the floral one (Robert Allen's Waldemere in Iris) and I made the one on the bed (Waverly's Bits 'n' Pieces in Violet).

Success!

I successfully recovered the ottoman. It's not going to win 'makeover of the year' but it works.

Looks nice with our wedding quilt. All the guests at our wedding signed fabric that my mom made into a quilt guest book.

A new project

I trash picked this ottoman

and I am going to attempt to cover it with this fabric. 

Found here

We will see how it goes!

Menu for the Week

Here is our menu plan for the week:

Sunday: Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast, Pot Roast for dinner
Monday: Tigers Game!
Tuesday: Roast Chicken
Wednesday: Gender Reveal party for good friends!
Thursday: Venison Meatballs, Chickpea Salad

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Dinner at a friend's, we are bringing dessert

a beautiful pillow!

Look what Barbie made me!

Slowly adding art

A new chair!

Look what Kevin bought me for our anniversary! Although I'm not sure he realizes he did that.

It's nice to have a place to set things in the room. Now I need to find a fun pillow!

A tip on Tuesday

My friend Tammy (http://tam-sense.blogspot.com/) says I have lots of awesome ideas and tips on how to make life easier/more efficient. I thought I would share some of them here. I did not come up with any of these, they have been picked up along the way from my family, friends, magazines, blogs, etc.

Make your own bathroom cleaner. Fill a mason jar with orange peels (or lemon), as many as you can stuff in there. Pour vinegar over the peels, covering them completely.

Let this sit in a dark, cool spot for 1 month. After a month, pour the vinegar into a spray bottle and toss the peels. Fill the rest of the bottle with water, you want at least 50% water. Give the bottle a couple of shakes before using. 

I clean my bathroom sink with this. It's also great for the shower, cutting through soap scum. I wouldn't use it on marble tile, I will have to find something else for our fancy new shower!

Look at my beautiful closet!

It's a dream closet! Except in my dream, I don't have to share it.

To build it, we used 1/2 inch gas pipe. We got the black, but there was a large variety of 'black' between the pipes, elbows, tees and flanges. So I sprayed painted everything black.

There was a lot of measuring and swearing to get the exact fit. We also bought and returned a million pieces. But it did not take as long as I thought it would. The frame is attached to the end walls of the closet, but we didn't screw it into the floor.

The shelves are common pine boards, stained with a golden pecan stain and poly in one. We did individual boards and laid them next to each other. It was much easier to do it this way, it allowed us to build the black frame first and then insert the shelves.

Isn't it beautiful!?!

A tip on Tuesday

My friend Tammy (http://tam-sense.blogspot.com/) says I have lots of awesome ideas and tips on how to make life easier/more efficient. I thought I would share some of them here. I did not come up with any of these, they have been picked up along the way from my family, friends, magazines, blogs, etc.

To make your own dry shampoo, get an empty spice jar (or anything with a shaker lid). Mix cornstarch, cocoa powder and a little bit of tea tree oil in the jar and shake it up. How much cocoa powder depends on how dark your hair is, add enough so that you don't get visible roots when you use it.

I use this on days when I don't wash my hair. Sprinkle a little at the temples, along your hairline and your part and massage it in. Wait 1 minute, then brush it out. Works great!

A tip on Tuesday

My friend Tammy (http://tam-sense.blogspot.com/) says I have lots of awesome ideas and tips on how to make life easier/more efficient. I thought I would share some of them here. I did not come up with any of these, they have been picked up along the way from my family, friends, magazines, blogs, etc.

How to make facial toner: take a small bottle (I used the toner bottle I had just emptied) and mix together apple cider vinegar, distilled water and a few drops of tea tree oil. Approximately 10-15% of the bottle should be apple cider vinegar. Give the bottle a quick shake to mix. Pour on a cotton pad and wipe your face after washing to get off any residual make-up or oil.

Closet Progress

The left side is done! Unfortunately, it was the easy side, no cuts needed. Now for the right side!

A tip on Tuesday

My friend Tammy (http://tam-sense.blogspot.com/) says I have lots of awesome ideas and tips on how to make life easier/more efficient. I thought I would share some of them here. I did not come up with any of these, they have been picked up along the way from my family, friends, magazines, blogs, etc.

You can make your own eye make-up remover! Use a empty glass jar, jojoba oil, baby shampoo and distilled water. Do a few squirts of baby shampoo, a few drops of the oil and fill the jar with distilled water. You may need to increase the shampoo or oil if you can't get your mascara off. Give the jar a shake and use a cotton pad dipped in it to remove your make-up.

Starting to decorate!

A new rug! Ignore how it is off center, I am trying to flatten the edge of the rug. 

Kevin's new Man Cave

I think the coral door really butches it up. 

A tip on Tuesday

My friend Tammy (http://tam-sense.blogspot.com/) says I have lots of awesome ideas and tips on how to make life easier/more efficient. I thought I would share some of them here. I did not come up with any of these, they have been picked up along the way from my family, friends, magazines, blogs, etc.

There is always a lot of lint, moisture and dust in the bathroom. If your walls start looking.... fuzzy, wipe down the walls with vinegar and a lint free cloth. It will get  rid of the lint and any mildew that might be lurking on the walls.

Closet Progress

Check it out! We have the beginning of a closet. And we didn't kill each other while building it. 

Seating!

We moved the couch that used to be in the living room upstairs. It looks pretty sad right now, it needs fun pillows!



Now the living room looks like a sad bachelor pad. Our new couch arrives on 7/15!

A tip on Tuesday

My friend Tammy (http://tam-sense.blogspot.com/) says I have lots of awesome ideas and tips on how to make life easier/more efficient. I thought I would share some of them here. I did not come up with any of these, they have been picked up along the way from my family, friends, magazines, blogs, etc.

If you want to hang a mirror that is mostly decorative (not the mirror over your bathroom sink), be sure it reflects something pretty. A window, a piece of art, etc. You don't want to double the view of something boring or ugly.

A busy weekend

We made a lot of progress this weekend! The stairs got primed and one coat of paint. The door frame needs some work.

The sliding door is up and so pretty!

And we moved our bed upstairs. The moving part wasn't very fun, but it's awesome to be sleeping up there! And we definitely need new nightstands, ours look small and sad.

We are making progress!

Check out the beautiful stain on the bookcase! And the pretty new light (with no bulbs in it, details). Also, a sneak preview of our coral door!

And lighting in the bathroom! Still without bulbs, which is why the shades are all crooked.

A tip on Tuesday

My friend Tammy (http://tam-sense.blogspot.com/) says I have lots of awesome ideas and tips on how to make life easier/more efficient. I thought I would share some of them here. I did not come up with any of these, they have been picked up along the way from my family, friends, magazines, blogs, etc.

If you have curtains that have a lot of visual weight (usually a darker or heavier fabric, could also be a lighter colored fabric against dark walls), you will need to hang something of a similar 'weight' on the opposite wall to help balance the room. 

Example: my dining room felt lopsided with just the curtains until my dad made me an awesome mirror to balance them out.