Living Room

Finally our living room is feeling a bit more complete. The painting was all completed right when we moved in and much of the decor was put in place then too. But after we finished the fireplace we tweaked everything a bit, added some fresh pillows, and now we are really pleased with it.

There are a lot of special things in our living room. My dad built us both this sofa back table as well as the piece under our TV. He used a beautiful wood called black walnut and the finish is really gorgeous. It is so smooth to the touch. This picture reminds me that I need to add pulls to both pieces.The Bible under the cloche is Toby's great-grandfathers on his maternal side. It is dated 1913.I promise that it is not that dusty...I had just dusted the cloche but apparently did not do a good job of it.I am usually not a huge fan of sectionals but this couch fits our needs perfectly. We can seat a lot of people on it and our whole family can all be laying down on it for a nap at the same time. We just updated the pillows to add some color. The pillow are from Pottery Barn.I love this photo wall. It holds some of our dearest photos of our family. It also holds the TV...one of Toby's dearest possessions. The chair is from Storehouse a store that went out of business a few years back. It was at our other house, made an appearance at my parents house for awhile, and founds its way back home after we moved into this house. It is a super comfy chair and I am glad to have it back.This is the one thing left to do in the living room....well, except for adding those pulls. We are going to paint it the same color as the trim in the house. This would is an ugly color and is dated. At first I wanted Toby to take these shelves out but then decided they are kind of a nice way to display things we love and hold dear without cluttering up the side tables. I love design books and especially the Pottery Barn line. I look at them frequently.These blocks are the favorite toy I have for my kiddos. They are big and colorful. Great for tiny hands to learn to build with. Plus, we get lots of practice on letters and words with them. They were a special gift from my Mom when Jack was born and I will have them forever. They are great to bring out whenever little ones come over to play. I just noticed that a Star Wars lego thingy was hanging out up there. They are everywhere around here...I hardly notice anymore.

Another view of the fireplace. So happy that is finished. And a little glimpse into our entryway. That chair was given to me from my friend Brittany and has been in several different rooms in my house. I love the lines of the chair and it is a fun pop of color. The quilts on the fireplace were made by yours truly. It is a newer hobby of mine that I have picked up and ADORE! I love seeing my kiddos wrapped up in those quilts or using them to build forts.

Just a reminder of our life in grace and how blessed our little family is. That is about it for the little tour of our family room. We have been finishing quite a bit up around here so I will have more posts to show you soon.

Fireplace Revamp

One of the most dreaded things about our house when we moved in was our fireplace....and master bath, southwest wallpaper, stained tile, ugly cabinets. The list could go on but seriously the fireplace was a huge eye sore with its dated wood paneling, soot-stained brick, short mantle, and brass doors. We needed an inexpensive fix and I came up with something that involved paint and reclaimed barnwood. However, reclaimed barnwood is expensive so I had to improvise. We primed the really stained parts then painted the brick with a high nap roller and brush. We used a color called White Linen. Used the trusty nail gun...thanks Mom for that Christmas gift. I used 1x8 pine and distressed it using a paint wash and a stain. We also beat the wood with chain and a hammer.Almost finished.

First decor option...not so much.The final product...except I need more candle inside the firebox (Is that a word?).

Lucy's Nursery

FINALLY! WE HAVE A PLACE TO BRING OUR SWEET GIRL HOME TO. HOUSE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN MOVING SLOWER THE LAST MONTH SO THERE HAS NOT BEEN MUCH TO POST. BUT WE WORKED HARD AND GOT HER ROOM FINISHED.THE CHAIR THAT WILL HAVE ROCKED ALL MY BABIES, VINTAGE WINDOW TOBY GAVE ME, MY GRANDMOTHER'S SILVER TRAY WITH PACIS, AND A COURTING CANDLE FROM MY MOTHER-IN-LAW. I MADE ALL OF HER BEDDING, CURTAINS, AND PILLOW. HER MONOGRAM IS ON THE MIDDLE OF THE BACK BUMPER. THANK YOU MOM FOR ALL THE GORGEOUS FABRIC. THE PAINTING ABOVE THE SHELVES WAS DONE BY A GREAT-GREAT AUNT OF MINE.
SAW THIS IDEA ON DESIGN DUMP AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT.
VINTAGE CHINA I HAVE COLLECTED OVER TIME.MY GRANDMOTHER'S TEA SET GIVEN TO ME BY MY SISTER...THANKS! ESSENTIALS

TIERED BOW STAND AND SWEET PILLOW FROM BRITT!

HER VERY OWN BATHROOM! TOBY FRAMED OUT THE ORIGINAL BUILDERS GRADE MIRRORS, PAINTED THE CABINETS, ADDED HARDWARE, AND BEADBOARD. WE STILL WANT TO CHANGE THE VANITY TOP TO GRANITE, GET A NEW FAUCET, AND RE-TILE THE FLOOR.A TOWEL I ADDED RUFFLES TO AND A LOOP FOR HANGING TOBY MADE THE CABINET ABOVE THE TOILET OPEN STORAGE BY ADDING SOME TRIM PIECES AND PAINTING IT.

AN INEXPENSIVE OPTION I CAME UP WITH FOR WALL DECOR.

First Impression

When I first looked at this house my first impression upon entering the home was not great. The decor was so not my style and the lighting features were extremely dated. Hopefully we have improved the first impression the house gives off a great deal. It is definitely an improvement at least.

I would still like to restain the front door and the trio dish usually has candy in it, however, two sneaky boys already took care of that. I have reserves in the drawer for when company comes.

Work Weekend

Lots of help from my mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and my friend, Lori helped to make this weekend a very successful weekend.

Dining area...still needs new blinds, window treatments, table runner (tablecloth is for protection from my rowdy boys), chandelier (Dad is doing this today), a little wall decor, and slipcovers.

SNACK BAR The house had a very 1980s wet bar that we would never use so I turned it into a snack bar. Sam is trying it out. Still needs window treatments, light fixture, cute sign, a towel holder for cute towels.

Kitchen is the most complete room and I am so pleased. Still needs wall decor and rug.

The boys tried the bar out for breakfast and loved it.

BEADBOARD

The end is in sight. The beadboard, trim, and baseboards are all up and most are caulked. All they have left is to finish painting, finish the hardware, touch-up the cabinets, lay the remaining floors in the morning room, then clean-up and put everything back. That sounds like a lot when I type it but by Tuesday we should have the house back to ourselves and be able to put it all together. I am getting SO excited.

Happy Father's Day to my amazing dad, husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law. My kids are so blessed to have you for an example of the type of men they need to be and I am lucky to have you at important times like when I move my family to a fixer-upper. :) Love you all!