Take 2 - Bedroom Redo...Finishing Touches & Repurposed Items

Here's "Take 2" of my bedroom redo posts. In my last post I chronicled the paint choice, linens, and a few pieces of furniture that we bought to furnish the "new" room. Like I said before, please ignore the poor quality of photos in this post. It's difficult to take good pictures in a basement -- just not enough natural light to make them look wonderful...

Much of what I enjoy when I redo a room is collecting a few "finishing touches" for the new look. I try to repurpose as much as I can from the old room or collect items from around the house that will add to the new room. Sometimes a shopping trip is in order to find a few new gems for the room. Luckily with this room all the finishing touches were easily gathered. It's great when a room "falls into place" like that. You'll find that most of my "finishing touches" have a specific purpose. I only have a few things in the room that are nic-nac-ish.

I don't think I need to tell you that I'm not an expert when it comes to decorating. My philosophy for decorating is very simple and uneducated. I just like to be surrounded by colors and "things" that make me happy. No matter how good an item would look in a room, I've gotta love it in order to buy it. I don't really care about matching styles, etc. I just surround myself with things that make me feel good. If you do that, it will be the look you love.

I've already told you about my successful shopping trip to Marshall's for the bed linen, but what I didn't mention was on that same shopping trip, I was able to pick up three more items that I used in the room as accents. The first was a wall plaque with a set of three hooks. It's great for visitors to have a convenient place to store a purse, coat, or robe, so I snatched this up very quickly. Love the sleek black finish on this...

In addition Marshall's had this cute laundry basket with a liner in just the right aqua color that I placed under the hooks...

Finally, I picked up this metal wall calendar. Loved the color, once again, and the distressed, travel-like feel of it.

As I said before my intention for a guest room is to keep it fairly simple. I like a few homey touches, but I prefer not to have too much on the walls and just a few items on surfaces. I already had much of what I needed, but I went shopping for just a couple of little items to add a special touch.

Our local newspaper had advertised a new home decorating store that opened recently, so I went to check it out. The store is called "Real Deals." This store is only open two days a week (to keep costs down) and let me tell you, it lives up to its name! Seriously, some really cute items for incredible prices. They have franchise stores all over the U.S. Here's what I found...

A blue bird of happiness, $3. I named her Gabby...

A distressed flower pot serves as a little bowl for midnight snacks, $3...

A "natural" nest with aqua eggs, $3, and a distressed Parisian clock, $9, love them...

And, finally, a black wire basket from Target (to cover up a stain on the carpet) filled with a few magazines and books...

The bedrooms in our basement are nice and roomy -- about 13' x 13' -- so there was plenty of space to add an oak desk in a corner of the room. This desk used to reside in a bedroom upstairs. I am still looking for a big splash of color for the desk. Right now it's pretty dreary, but I haven't found just the right thing...

I repurposed two objects for the desk. The first was the desk lamp that originally was stained an oak color and had a green shade. I sanded it down a little, spray painted it black, and popped a new shade on top. The second was the mirror. This used to be a stained oak frame that housed a fine art print. I roughed it up a bit and spray painted it black. Then I took the frame to a glass shop in town. They cut a piece of 1/8" thick mirror and mounted it in the frame. For $18 I have a large framed mirror. A bargain. I like having a mirror in each bedroom so guests have the option of getting ready in their bedrooms, which frees up the baths. That's actually a necessity when we have all 19 kids and grandkids staying with us!

Next -- the final post. "The before and after shots!"

Take 1-- Bedroom Redo ... Paint & Furniture

Finally, it's done. And my house and I are still in one piece. That's a good thing considering my little mishap early on in the redecorating process. Yesterday I put the finishing touches on our basement bedroom that I've been redecorating for the last few weeks. My next few posts will chronicle some of that process.

I need to start by saying taking photos in a basement is never a good thing. There just isn't enough natural light to make any picture look decent. Colors are off, pictures are fuzzy, the whole shebang is messed up. If I was a better photographer it would probably help, but we'll have to make do with lousy photos -- a bit discouraging because the room looks a lot better in person than in the pictures I'm going to show you.

This whole redecorating process started several weeks ago when I took a short quiz online to determine my interior design style. The questionnaire concluded that my favorite style is "Nantucket." For once an online test was truly accurate, and it did isolate my favorite design style. I love the soft bluish hues against the white backdrop in these rooms. So much so, that I decided to makeover one of our basement bedrooms (that was sorely in need of reconstruction) to reflect a little more of this style.

I decided early on in the process to use the colors of the Nantucket style without the beach vibe. It's not that I wouldn't want a little beach house on the coast. Quite the contrary. That would be my idea of heaven, but I have found over the years that I've been unsuccessful when I've tried to push a certain style in my home that is not reflective of its natural surroundings. Let me explain. Years ago we went to Hawaii and I brought back items for my home that would have looked fabulous in a cabana on the beach, but lacked a little something in the foothills of the Colorado mountains. Then we went to Mexico and I brought back maracas. Try as I might I couldn't force those maracas to look good in my countrified home. You get the picture. I've learned I don't have the talent to subtly bring in an element that doesn't jive with the "mile high atmosphere" in Colorado. I'm sure it can be done, I just don't have enough talent to do it. So, I took the colors from the Nantucket style and (sadly) left the oceanic theme behind.

Paint choice. For a bedroom, I always choose my bed linens first, and they determine the colors, including the paint, for the rest of the room. Early on in the redecorating process I found the bed linens (below) at Marshalls. Bedspread - $39; Shams - $12 each. Color - perfect. Style - love it! Price - couldn't be beat. The color in this bedspread reminds me of the color of the ocean in Cozumel -- the most fabulous aqua color in the world. (These photos don't do it justice.) Love the stark white background and the black outlines too.

Once I had the bed linens, I could choose the wall colors. Going along with the "Nantucket" theme, I chose white for the ceiling and three walls with a very light aqua for the accent wall. The color black is an accent color in the room, as well. The two paint colors I finally settled on were Behr "Snow Fall" and Ralph Lauren "Organza." I picked up the paint chips at Home Depot and then high tailed it over to Walmart for the paint. I've heard over the years about a million times that its better to buy a more expensive paint than a "cheap" one. Usually it's the salespeople at the more expensive stores telling me so. However, no matter what kind of paint I've bought over the years ... cheap or expensive ... I've always had to put two coats of paint on the walls, so I figure I might as well buy less expensive paint. I had the girl match the paint on the chips, and each gallon cost me about $12. Sweet. For the accent wall I wanted the aqua color to be subtle, so I chose a color I liked and then went two shades lighter. I've learned it's better to err on the side of caution in regard to paint. Here is a lousy photo of the three colors of paint in the room -- black, white, and aqua...

Now that the colors of the room were established my husband and I started looking for furniture. All my kids are grown and living on their own, so I try to keep all the guest bedrooms "minimal." I don't even need dressers in the rooms anymore -- even though a couple of the rooms do have dressers. I wanted to furnish this room with a queen bed and headboard, two nightstands, and a desk that could substitute as a changing table for the grandkids if need be. Minimal. I wanted lots of room for suitcases and all the other "stuff" the kids bring with them when they come for a visit.

My husband and I looked high and low for two nightstands and a headboard. Seriously -- high and low. At first we found nothing but huge, chunky, Henry the VIII pieces of furniture. Not what I was looking for. I finally went to Crate and Barrel, Pier 1, and Cost Plus World Market to see what they had to offer. Did I mention I am a bargain shopper? I have a really hard time spending a lot of money on something that is used only a few times a year. Fortunately, I found great quality at a great price at World Market!

Headboard, $199 -- on sale. Love the smooth, sleek lines of this headboard ...

Nightstands, $139 each (on sale). These nightstands have an distressed feel to them that I love! Kind of a beach vibe without shouting "starfish." Know what I mean? Technically, they aren't nightstands at all, they are entry tables. I love a generous nightstand. One that you can place a few beautiful items on -- plus your glasses, a book, and other essentials. Little, dinky nightstands are not for me.

That's it for today. Stay tuned for more...

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye something...
black and white & cool all over!

Clockwise from top left:

Toile "R" Pillow
24 Damask Printable Tags
Summer Skies Fine Art Print
Damask Flower Barrette

The Valentine winner is...

A big "thank you" to those who participated in the "Valentines to Haiti" activity sponsored by "Free Wheelchair Mission." Seventy Valentines will be sent to Haiti from those who participated from this site alone! Amazing. Thank you!





I wish I could send a wristlet to each of you who participated. With 30 Valentines sent out from this one individual though, the odds were stacked in her favor. The Valentine Wristlet goes to:

Congratulations, Sonya!

Chocolate Says it Best...

I've been enjoying looking at Valentine decorations on many blogs lately, but I just haven't had it in me to participate much in the decorating aspect of Valentine's Day until today. I don't usually spruce up for Valentine's Day, but today I decided to make a quick decoration that would commemorate the day! First, I bought a few items at Hobby Lobby...

4 - 8" paper mache letters, $2.50 each, $10
latex paint, $.99
4 scrapbook papers, $1 (on sale)
Total: $12

Have on hand:
Mod Podge
scissors
paint brush
sandpaper

Then I went to work. I began by putting two coats of latex craft paint on the sides, back, and front edges of the paper mache letters. Then I placed the right side of the letter onto the wrong side of the paper and traced around each letter. I cut out the traced paper letters and Mod Podged them onto each corresponding letter block. (Remember when you glue with Mod Podge to "paint" the Mod Podge on both the paper and the item you are gluing it to for proper adhesion.) When the Mod Podge was dry, I went around the outside of the letters with sandpaper to distress the edges. Then I took a paintbrush and put a thick layer of Mod Podge over the sides and front of the letters. When I paint on Mod Podge to create a shiny varnished surface, I use short strokes -- about 1+ inch long -- in all different directions. This adds "texture" to the surface when it is dry.

When it was dry,

I added another thick coat of Mod Podge to the sides and front of the letters...

Then I added a layer of Mod Podge to the back of the letter
to finish it off...

Now, for the good part. What would Valentine's Day be without chocolate? Or any other day for that matter? I never want to find out the answer to that question. I shiver at the thought of a life without Peanut M&Ms or a Snickers bar. For that reason alone, I am often drawn to the color "chocolate" in fabric and paper. Instead of purchasing a more typical red or pink scrapbook paper for this project, I chose a variety of chocolate and pink papers...

They reminded me of this...

(Please excuse me while my eyes glaze over...)

Ahem... here's the finished project:

"Valentine" Give Away...

Yesterday I promised a "Valentine" Give Away associated with my plea to you to send Valentines filled with a little hope and love to those suffering from the effects of the earthquake in Haiti.

It's so easy to do! Just scroll down or go here to find out how you can stack your odds to win this classic wristlet and send a little love to those in need. Don't sign up for this Give Away here, just scroll down to get the info and find out what you can do to enter the Give Away -- time and time again!!!

I was in the mood for black and white yesterday -- with a punch of hot pink. This little clutch fits the bill.

I love scrollwork of any type. This fabric can be found at Hobby Lobby. You heard me right. Both fabrics found on this clutch are part of a private label brand for Hobby Lobby called Brother Sister Design Studio. To be honest this fabric is not the high quality you will find in most designer fabrics, but I have found several fabrics from this line that are cute, fresh and contemporary. These are two of them!

After publishing yesterday's post, I received an email from a friend of mine who is a paper genius. (You should see her scrapbooks.) She asked if her family could make the Valentines, rather than print them off. I encouraged her to do so. For some, this might be an option, rather than printing them. Use your imagination and follow the links to send them to the address in Irvine! And make sure you let me know in the comments on the post below, how many times I should enter your name for this classic Wristlet Give Away...

Have a nice weekend!

Valentines & a Give Away...

I've always loved Valentine's Day. There's something about a day that celebrates "love" that warms my heart.

I just read of an opportunity to share love in a tangible, warm-hearted way with those suffering from the results of the earthquake that shattered homes and lives last month in Haiti.

Head over to Becca's blog , at Blue Cricket Design, to learn how you can send a Valentine filled with a little hope and love to those in Haiti. It's easy and affordable. The only thing it will cost you is a little time and a stamp! An organization called "Free Wheelchair Mission" is sponsoring this Valentine love-fest.

Becca's goal is to get 100 cards sent from her readers. I've set a personal goal of 5 cards that I'll mail off today!

This is where you come in. To sweeten the deal (as if you need it sweetened), I'm setting a bloggie goal of my own. Head over to Blue Cricket Design, get your instructions, and then print off as many Valentines as you can realistically mail off! Get your family involved -- kids and all! This is a wonderful opportunity for our children to help the children of Haiti! Leave a comment here (between now and next Tuesday, February 9th) and let me know how many Valentines your family is sending/sent off. For every Valentine you mail, I will put your name in a basket for a drawing for a Wristlet Give Away. I'll make a special Wristlet just for this occasion. It would be great if, collectively, we could send off a hundred or more Valentines!

Thanks, Becca, for sharing this opportunity to give a little love to those in need. We'll all be better off for it! Click here to go to Blue Cricket Design and find out more about this fun opportunity.

Here's a sneak peak at the Wristlet I made for this "Valentines to Haiti" Give Away ...

Wristlet and (fill in the blank) Give-Away!

I just got a phone call from my daughter. She was concerned about me, because I hadn't posted the winner for my Wristlet Give-Away! She said she was checking up on me. After my last post, I can understand her concern. To be honest, I lost track of time. I'm like that when I have a project in the works. This week I've been consumed with the bedroom redo. It's taken a lot of my time and concentration. I must admit, it's turning out beautifully. One more coat of paint, and we move in the furniture. I'll post a few pictures when I'm finished, however, there are bigger fish to fry at the moment! On to the matter at hand -- that of announcing the winner of this month's Give Away. This spunky little purple wristlet ...

will find its way to the home of...

(Don't you just love the name of that blog?)

But wait, that's not all. Remember I asked you to pick your favorite item from my blog? Knowing which items in my Etsy are favorites helps me with fabric and pattern choice, so I really do appreciate you taking the time to let me know what strikes your fancy. As a show of my appreciation, one more name was chosen and she will receive "her favorite" from my Etsy. This lovely wristlet was her favorite,

and it goes to...

Thank you for participating in my Give Away and for all of your kind remarks and comments!

Too close for comfort...

You would think by the time a person reaches the ripe old age of 53 that she knows a thing or two about safety. Surely by then she would have garnered, assimilated, and internalized words of advice from her mother, her teachers, health care professionals, DIY TV shows and blogging friends. I'm here to tell you, someone ... somewhere let me down. I'm not pointing a finger. I'm merely stating facts.

In an effort to educate the general public (that's you) I will pass on a valuable piece of information that I amassed earlier today. Let me set the scene...

Several weeks ago I took a questionnaire online that helped determine my interior design style. The questionnaire concluded that my favorite style is "Nantucket."

When I've taken questionaires similar to this in the past, they have rarely been accurate. For example, one time I took a "What kind of cookie are you?" test. It pegged me as a "sugar cookie." What the heck? Who wants to be a plain old sugar cookie, when one can be a "White Chocolate Macademian Nut" cookie? Another time I took a "Which Austen heroine are you?" quiz. It turns out I am most like Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility. Swell. Elinor is practical, circumspect, and discreet. Sounds exciting, eh? I've got to start thinking outside the box when I take these tests.

Take the Quiz here!

I digress... Amazingly enough, when I took the interior design test, it truly did isolate my favorite interior design style. I love the soft bluish hues against the white backdrop in these rooms. So much so, that I decided to makeover one of our basement bedrooms to reflect a little more of this style.

The last few weeks have been spent acquiring two nightstands, a headboard, bedding, and various other sundries to make this guest bedroom a coastal retreat. Today I started the painting process.

In this room we have a bookshelf, attached to the wall, that stretches from one corner of that wall to the other. When the boys were young, it drove me crazy to have their nightstands, dressers, and desk space covered with junk their priceless treasures, so my husband and I built these shelves in their rooms so they could store their belongings up and out of the way. Below the shelf are pegs so they could hang up their hats, baseball gloves, etc.

A few days ago I determined the first order of business for the makeover is to repaint the walls and this bookshelf. The shelf has been a distressed red color for years, so I decided to paint it black for a new look. This is where it got interesting. Several months ago I refinished a wooden chair by spray painting it black. I loved how it turned out, so I thought spray painting this shelf might be the way to go. I covered the floor and furniture with drop cloths. I taped off the wall around the shelf and started spraying. All the while not realizing the mounting fumes, and that I could have leveled my house with an explosion that would have rivaled an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

Ka - Boom.

After several minutes I stood back to admire the results and realized the ventilation in the room was non existent and that this particular room is adjacent to our furnace room. Hmmm. Double ka - boom. That's when I turned off the heater (yes, the pilot light was still on) and started a few fans. Eventually, the air cleared. Eventually.

All I'm saying, is ... a little heads up along the way about spray painting protocol would have been nice. I might have caused myself serious harm. Not to mention our cat, the neighbors and a healthy squirrel population in our little burb.

When I confessed my indiscretion to my husband, he suggested that I carefully read the label on the can from now on. My suggestion to him was that a "know-it-all" attitude is unbecoming a gentleman.

In all fairness, I was aware of the admonition on the can to use the spray in a "well ventilated area." I just considered that advice more of a gentle suggestion, rather than a deliberate precautionary measure. And there, my friends, is the lesson for us all.

I will say, however, that the shelf looks awesome. Truly. Trust me when I say, it's never looked better. I'll take a picture of it later to prove my point...

Have a good day and don't forget to scroll down and sign up for my wristlet give away!

Chocolate & Cool Turquoise

I love this fabric. It reminds me of a spring garden. Bright beautiful flowers against a backdrop of rich, chocolate-brown soil. I can't help but dream of spring when I'm confronted with this mini Hang Up! This wristlet is fashioned from a fabric collection called "Hot Blossom", and is the creation of Josephine Kimberling for Robert Kaufman.

Scroll down to enter my Wristlet Give Away!