It's the Little Things that Make a Difference!

The weather has been warming up a little this week so it was a great time to open up the windows in our bedroom and do a little trim painting.  The trim was a creamy white (which I painted a couple years ago) but with the new wall color it looked kind of dirty and drab.  I decided to brighten it up a bit with the same white paint that we used on our kitchen cabinets and on the molding/trim in Eli's new big boy room. It's called Decorators White by Benjamin Moore. 

Before color is to the left, new trim color is to the right.

                                              Before...                                            After...

  Windows and baseboards received some love as well.

Now that the wall color, trim, windows and doors are painted we can put our furniture back together in the room and put up our new light fixture.  I had been eyeing one at Lowe's and finally caved this week.  Post to come once its up and room is semi finished.  The hubby still needs to change out the electrical to white to match the room.  We are slowly but surely changing all the electrical in the house from cream to white.  Next up we have hopes of trying to build/make our own fabric headboard.  Will keep you posted! 

Trim is the most tedious of painting jobs, but sure does make a difference in the big scheme of things.  Any of you out there have a favorite trim color?  There are so many whites to choose from that it can be confusing.  I brought home several swatches and held them up in the light next to each other.  They all have a totally different color undertone.  I like the Decorators White because it has a gray undertone which flows with the other colors going on in the house.   And of course you don't have to just go with white.  We have a green trim color in our living room with cream walls. That may get changed out eventually but for now, it's staying :)  

Monday Makeover: Part 1- Master Bedroom paint is on the "Horizon"

As I said in the last post we were hoping to tackle our bedroom this past weekend with a paint change up.  Thanks to my husband's drive and ambition this task is pretty much complete and the bedroom makeover is finally underway.  When we bought our home almost 3 years ago (this May), I picked a paint color that I thought flowed with our duvet cover.  It was a neutral tan called "Earthy Cane" which I really liked but in our room it just never seemed to fit right.  It always felt dark and blah every time I walked into the room and that's exactly what I don't want to feel when I walk into my bedroom.  I want this to be a space where I can create an oasis that gives me room to relax, shut the door and take a little breather from the business of life.  I want it to have a bright airy feel with a little romantic flare but not too feminine since of course the hubs shares the space as well :)  I struggled with picking the right paint color this time.  I knew I wanted a light color, almost white with a grayish tint.  I had a few picked out and finally decided on Benjamin Moore's  "Horizon".  It is a light silvery/gray color with undertones of blue. Of course I didn't buy the Benjamin Moore paint because I didn't want to spend that much, but instead I brought the color to Lowe's and had them color match it in Valspar's 2 in 1 No VOC-Low Odor paint.  I was SO IMPRESSED with the coverage of the paint and plan to use it in the nursery for our next project.

When I envision this room I see white airy curtains, a crystal chandelier of some sorts, linen fabric headboard  with a small sunburst mirror over it, and a large rug to help ground the room and complete the warmth of the space.  I have an old vintage desk that my dad gifted me and side tables that I bought at the Goodwill last year that I plan to refinish.  But before moving forward with all the decor and fun stuff, here is the foundation and basis of our room, the walls.  I think if the walls could talk they are a lot happier as am I.  We slept in the nursery/guest room last night since the fumes were strong but when I walked into the room this morning I was very pleased with the result.  I'm not a fan of it with the bright lights on at night because it changes the look, but in the daylight its exactly what I envisioned.  I plan to put soft lighting in when we change out the lighting.  It's amazing how the right lighting can change the whole atmosphere and mood!

Here is the process of our painting party weekend:

 BEFORE Color in "Earthy Cane" and AFTER in "Horizon"

 

BEFORE...

 The journey of the process...

           

Removed all the outlet covers and trimmed out the entire room first.

First coat is going up...looks white in this picture still.

The hubs rolled the paint while I trimmed.  He is amazing and am so thankful he will help tackle projects with me. We work well as a team.  I'm the detail perfectionist and Nate is the bulldozer and motivator that keeps me going and gets the job done efficiently.  

  

2nd and last coat is up!  Planning to repaint trim "Decorators White" like in Eli's room so it's a little brighter white.

Choosing a paint color can be intimidating and scary, but don't let it keep you from taking a risk and diving in.  To be honest, I'm repainting almost every room in our house that we painted almost 3 years ago because after living in the home, I realize what I really like and what I want to live with long term.  When we moved in, I was picking colors in a flurry so we could get our things settled.  I would advise new home owners not to rush too quickly in painting your rooms because your perspective and liking can change once you live life in a space.  The great thing about paint is that it can be changed easily so you are never locked into it.  Keep in mind the lighting in a room when picking your paint color because that can completely alter the look.  I have had paint swatches hanging along our door frames for a while now so I could think about what I really envisioned and wanted.  And of course, you can always pay a few dollars for paint samples if you need to see larger samples side by side to make your final decision.  If anyone out there is questioning a color or needs help picking one, shoot me an email and maybe I can help brainstorm with you :)  I will be back soon with the next step in the process of the master bedroom makeover!  

As we head into our week leading up to Good Friday and Easter/Resurrection Sunday, may we all  be reminded to fix our minds and hearts on the sober reality of what this time and season represents.  My prayer is that we would all be opened up to new "Horizons" as we set our eyes on Jesus, the source of true life and the answer to all our needs!  

Happy Monday!

The Full Reveal Has Come...Boy's Room Is Done!

I love room transformations...and this one is by far my favorite in our home!

I am so excited for this one to be done so Eli can now enjoy it!  Thank you "Nemo" for giving us the time and incentive to finish it this week! Having a couple snow days in a row has pushed me to get the room back in order.  It is pretty much complete except for some decorative elements I still want to implement such as a curtain on the closet, new bedspread/pillows and additional art work.  I bought very little decorative items for the room...a lot of stuff I already had on hand throughout the house so I did a little shopping in my own home and tried to use Eli's things as decor:)  That's how I like to roll around here....move things around now and again and makes it feel like new!  Eli is so excited to have his new big boy room complete that he didn't even give us a problem last night before bed or before nap today.  It has such a cozy feel...I'm actually kind of jealous that he has one of the nicest rooms in the house now :)  He is one special little boy and I love that this room will grow with him and his siblings in the future.  Without further a do....welcome to Elias's room!

Side table- already owned and matches bed perfectly. Lamp- already owned.  This was in his nursery, I switched the shade out from a different lamp in the house so it would match the burlap/natural fiber in the room.

This is a copy of a second draft of the Gettysburg Address given by Abraham Lincoln.  We visited Lexington, Mass a couple years ago while my brother lived nearby in Waltham.  We went to the grounds where the battle of Lexington took place.  They had a shop with memorabilia and we bought a set of copies of the Decleration of Independence, Gettysburg address and a couple others.  We were thinking of putting them up in an office, but when I came across them recently (while cleaning out a closet) I thought they would be perfect in his room.  I love how it is copied on old vintage looking paper and the words are quite powerful.

 Recent purchase at Homegoods: Metal basket for $15.  Eli wanted it to be for his stuffed animals.  He is a stuffed animal lover!

 Below is a painting that Eli did recently.  I framed it in a frame that I already had on hand with white matting.  The shelf is one that we had that I painted blue to match the walls.  On the top (to the right) is Eli's fish, Nemo.  In the middle is a white ceramic globe on an axis and to the left is a jar full of his legos.  He has a set in his playroom but I like having something for him to play with when I'm upstairs doing things.  Plus, it's great color for decor as well :)  On first shelf is a globe he can play with that is sitting on top of his bibles, the white wicker basket is the home of some of his favorite things...tools and his camera, and to the far right is a mason jar full of his "monies" that he is saving.  On the second shelf is two wooden trucks (crane and mixer) that Nate and I painted for him before he was born.  They were part of the decor in his nursery because he had a "digger" themed room.  It was definitely appropriate since Nate works in construction with "diggers" everyday and Gampy (Nate's dad) owns Central Maine Crane.  In the middle of the second shelf is a hand painted bowl from Kenya, Africa that a friend bought me when I was young and inside the bowl are rocks from Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon in Arizona/Nevada (very first trip Eli went on when he was 7 weeks old in my belly :). The bottom shelf is home to some of his books and a few games that he likes to play.

 Chalkboard on the wall is a recent purchase from Christmas Tree Shops: $12.  I thought it would be great to hang his hats on and write little messages to him.  On the dresser is a rope basket that I made with a friend a while back.  We took a tin pot and hot glued thick rope around it.  Inside the basket is a fake plant from Ikea (low maintenance which I need).  In the middle is a picture of Eli when he was 4 months old, a white ceramic bowl with his binoculars in it, and a set of books with a plastic bird sitting on top.  He loves animals!

Crates are from a thrift store in Fairfield Maine.  I thought these would be great for shoes and other miscellaneous things.  Originally I was going to use them as a night stand but with the bunk beds I am unable to.  The sign at the top is one that I had been wanting to buy from Etsy but didn't want to spend the money.  Found this metal one at Christmas Tree Shops for $2.99.

Sign that we bought when we were first married and then we put it in Eli's nursery.  I wanted it to move with him because I want this to always be a part of our bedtime routine no matter how old :)

Natural bamboo blind was already here when we bought the home.  The brushed nickel curtain rod with blue glass globes on the end was given to me from my mom who had it in our home years ago.  It was in Eli's nursery but thought it would work perfectly in here.  White curtains are from Ikea and those were also in the nursery.  Since we were able to put the curtain rod right up to the ceiling, the curtains fit better in here.  I may not have to hem them as much as I thought.  The nursery has a slanted ceiling so we were unable to put the rod as high before.

I reused the white duvet from the full bed for the time being.  I would like to get matching bedding for top and bottom eventually...I just need the price to be right.  The natural linen pillow is one that I already owned and the knit blanket at the bottom is one made by our long time friend Kim who gave it to Eli for our shower.  It goes perfect in this room.  The rug is one that I bought our first year married for in our bedroom.  It's only a 4x6 so it's great for a small room and the price was amazing when I bought it 4 1/2 years ago for only $25 at Target. 

Now for Before and Afters...

 When we first bought the home.

Before (how it has looked the last 2 years) and After when you first walk into the room....

Before and After to the right corner of the room...

Before and After of the closet and small wall by the door...

Thanks for stopping by our room reveal.  Any projects on your agenda this weekend?  Next up is to finish the closet with a curtain, find some organizational bins and make a little reading nook.  Happy weekend :)

Our Busy Snow Day: Bunks & Shelving!

Today was crazy outside.  Snow storm "Nemo" arrived early this morning and didn't let up much all day.  The brunt of the storm has yet to hit and should be striking here in a few hours.  I haven't seen this much snow at once as long as I can remember!  Eli is looking forward to getting out and playing in it.  I have a feeling that it may be a part of our agenda tomorrow :)  Since we were staying in for the day, we decided...why not tackle a couple projects?  And that's exactly what we did.  I re-painted a standing shelf and the hubby and I put Eli's new bed together so we could start putting the finishing touches on the room.  Of course, no project is complete without our little tag along who likes to help with EVERYTHING.  That is no exaggeration.  Whenever we have something to do or work on, he is our little shadow and on our heels the whole time.  He gets his tool box out, or uses Nate's tools and he truly thinks he's working.  The look of seriousness and accomplishment on his face is priceless and our level of patience is tested to the max, haha!  Hopefully this excitement and ambition lasts in the future!

Here is a sneak peak at the shelf I tackled today.  It was a hand me down from my dad who found it on a moving job years ago.  I inherited it when we married and it has moved from room to room throughout the last 4 1/2 years.  It recently has been chilling out in the playroom, but I decided to give it a new life and new home in Eli's room. 

First photo is the new color.  It is the same blue that is in Eli's room on the walls..."Hale Navy" Benjamin Moore.  The picture to the right is what it has looked like for many years...a creamy white color.  The blue color doesn't do justice in the lighting of the basement but will post more pics to come when we do Eli's full room reveal.  It took 3 coats to get the color that I was looking for.  It pops against the white board and batten in the room.  Can't wait to show!

We had a change of plans in the bed department for Eli's room.  We originally had planned on converting Eli's crib into a full size bed.  When we ordered the conversion rails this past week we found out they were on back order (in the color we needed) until end of April.  We didn't want to wait that long but didn't really
have any other choice because we needed the rails specific to this crib.  A while back we had thrown out the idea of bunk beds in that room in the future.  Since the room is small we thought it would make the most use of the space.  Yet, I didn't want to lose the full bed because of when we have guests over.   When we woke up this morning, Nate brought up the idea again and this time it seemed like our best option.  We would actually probably save money in the long haul and if we have a couple staying over we can sleep in Eli's room with him and our room can convert to the guest room.  Plus we will always have an extra twin bed available in Eli's room for family that stays over more often.  Problem solved!  So my crazy husband faced the storm head on and made a trip to Sam's Club this morning.  I had seen the bunk bed there a few months ago and it was almost the exact replica of one I liked at Pottery Barn but for the fraction of the cost.  It's crazy the difference in price for a piece of furniture that looks almost identical! So, he loaded up the box and mattress and
made it home within an hour of leaving our doorstep.  The color is chestnut and it's real wood which is a huge PLUS! I love how you can see the knots in the wood.  It actually matches our crib in the nursery and Eli's dresser that we bought a couple years ago.  I am in love with the dark wood against the white board and batten molding.We were probably more excited than Eli to unpack the box and get it put together.  Here is a snippet of our day putting it together as a family...

 Here is the almost finished product!  Mattresses and ladder rails to be installed!

We are so very happy with our purchase and it gives Eli a lot more room to play in there now.  When he woke up from his nap in the nursery this afternoon he told us he was ready to go back to bed because he was so excited to sleep in his new bed.  He is sleeping in it tonight and he was beyond thrilled! I am working on some finishing touches and will be back with a full room reveal by Monday.  Anyone out there have bunk beds or contemplating them?  I would recommend our purchase highly because of the price!

Enjoy your weekend and anyone in the pathway of "Nemo" stay safe!!  Speaking of "Nemo"....Eli's fish that he named Nemo made his transition into the new room as well.  He was swimming around happily, like he was giving us his stamp of approval :)