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!

Spring(y) Decor Bringing Happiness & Cheer!

I have lagged in the blogging department this past week.  This long, drawn out cold snowy weather is giving me the winter blues.  I have been having trouble finding ambition to attack certain projects recently and hoping with Spring on the way it will help bounce me back into my creative mode.  I do love a good snow day and feeling all cozied up within the confinement of our home, but this year I feel like it has dragged on for too long now.  I'm itching to get out to play in the yard and get my spray painting on! :)  The one downfall to this cold weather is that certain projects I would like to attempt have to be put on hold because I don't have proper space to accomplish them in.

This past week we hopefully had one of the last snow storms for the year.  Eli and I had a pajama day and did a little spring cleaning/decorating to lift the spirits.  I tackled the living room and a little in the kitchen to help cheer up the space while our house was enveloped in the powdery white stuff outside.  I haven't purchased any new spring decor except for 2 small items so I just went shopping around my house and rearranged some things to feel somewhat new.  The two things I did purchase were a plate from Goodwill for 99 cents and a pack of spring paper napkins from Christmas Tree Shop for $1.99 that I incorporated into the space.  I love how just taking things you own and giving them a new home can refresh and revive a space.  Before decorating, Eli decided he wanted to vacuum so we had the whole living room torn apart before putting it back together in the pictures below.  He is my little cleaning buddy and loves to help out so with paper towel and vacuum in hand, we scrubbed the room, put the winter decor away and brought out some bright happy colors.  Here is the beginning stages of Spring in our home :)

 Living Room- view from the kitchen.

Took my 2 lanterns purchased from Goodwill this past fall and flanked the mantle with them. I originally had the lanterns put together on the side table to make one large lantern this winter, but decided to give them a fresh look by separating them.  I put 2 matching Goodwill plates in the back of each one with a mercury glass votive holder in front of it to be able to light the candles at night.  

This framed card was in the kitchen but brought it into the living room for a change of scenery.  I love this little silver bird in front of it that I purchased at Michael's this past Christmas for $1.50.

I have a love for old canning jars, especially the teal colored ones.  I found this one at a thrift store last year for $6 with the lid on it.   I filled it with the yellow and gold paper straw that I use for Eli's basket and the eggs we colored last year.

Lantern with the vintage Goodwill plate and mercury glass that can change and flow throughout every season.

Little ceramic white bowl that I again filled with the paper straw and eggs that Eli colored last year.

Our egg tree filled with glass eggs from Christmas Tree Shop (last year).  Branches are reused from previous decor and they are spray painted silver and white from in our back yard.

Thrift store table that I painted gray a while back and re-purposed next to the sofa.  Doily is from Nate's Great Gram who made it and gave it to us as a wedding gift.  Love sentimental pieces like this!  

Apple green bud vase was originally clear and purchased for $1 at Walmart last year.  I used acrylic craft paint and swirled it around inside to get this color.  I'm not usually into fake flowers, but those are.  I do love them now and again.  

Here is the paper napkin I decided to frame.  Hoping the fold lines will smooth out, but besides that I love the color it brings to the room.  This frame gets changed out seasonally.  For Christmas it said "Merry" and for winter it said "Let It Snow."  These flowers exude happiness:)

Kitchen received a few little touches.

Beautiful vintage tea cup that I received as a favor at a recent bridal shower.  Inside the cup is a yellow glass egg (left over from the egg tree).

Here is the plate I scored at Goodwill this week for 99 cents.  I think it has a very Anthropologie feel.  I would like to hang it on a plate gallery wall someday.

Little frame from Michael's this past Christmas for 99 cents.  I cut out a picture from the Pottery Barn magazine and frame the little chick with an egg in it.  Thought it was sweet!  This is something you can do at home.  Find a frame laying around and cut pictures out of decor magazines for a seasonal theme.  I do this all the time.

Blue glass egg in a little milk vase.

Old scale with festive eggs from Christmas Tree Shop (last year find).

Finally hung my chalkboard from 2 months ago.  That is my little Scentsy owl (from Christmas) that I thought would be a good home for him for now.  He will have some company on that shelf here soon :)

That is the beginning stages of bringing some bright, happy cheer into our home.  Just shows that you don't need to spend much to make your space feel alive and like YOU :)   It's fun trying to be creative with what you have and making it unique to your liking.  Hope to bring a touch of Spring into every room of the home somehow.  This time of year excites me with the rebirth of everything that died or went dormant for a season.  Bright colors always make me happy and although I don't personally like them on the wall (feels too permanent), I do love decor that can be changed out and brings a smile to my face when walking into the room.  What Spring projects or decor do you have in mind?  Send me an email if you'd like and I'll post your  reno or decor in an upcoming post :)  The hubby and I are tackling our bedroom here this week (hopefully) so stay tuned for updates, as well as a nursery redo and bathroom redo in the near future as well!  Have a great day and Happy Spring everyone!

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 :)