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Hours Before the Photo Shoot

In Home on January 8, 2010 at 9:00 am

Messy room and no corner shelves.

Hours before the photo shoot of our bedroom we were still putting things together. Goes to show I DO need deadlines. We were pressed for time as we had a few consecutive dark and rainy days here. I couldn’t take pictures since I used natural lighting in all my photos. I finally scheduled the photo shoot for the day before the reveal when it was forecasted to be sunny outside.

Either way, we still had tons to get done before the shoot. The morning of the shoot I was still finishing up one of the drapes, putting wire on the tree canvases I painted and cleaning up the room. Nathan was out exchanging wall shelves and putting them up along with the canvases. Just wanted you to know that we are like every other family out there. However, I do have an amazing husband who took time off work to help me pull it off in time. No complaints. Just kept asking me, “What can I do next?” Isn’t he great?

My handy man, Nathan helping me put up the canvases. He is very precise with his measurements for wall hangings. I love it.

Elle wanted to help, too. She loved playing with daddy's tools and going through mommy's bags.

Tags

cleaning, decorating, organizing, photos, thoughts

▶ 6 Comments

Friday’s 5 at 5: Leftover Master Bedroom Projects

In Friday's 5 at 5, Home on January 8, 2010 at 5:00 am

Although the bedroom has been revealed, there are still a few things I want to change and do to our room. Many of you have all ready noticed and mentioned many of the things I still want to improve in our bedroom…

Light fixture/ceiling fan. I thought about finding a beautiful chandelier for it, but we really need a ceiling fan since we live in the South. I would like to upgrade to a nicer ceiling fan. This is our current ceiling fan. Just the basic model that the builder put in when they built the house.
Bed skirt. Many of you saw this. This blue one was from when we were first married. We thought we wanted to do a beach theme to our room. Oh were we wrong. This will probably be the first thing to be replaced.
Alarm clock. The clock on my bedside table I got while in college. I want to trade it for an antique looking silver clock.
A few more decoration pieces. We still have a few empty spaces in the room where we can add more decoration. I would like to find things to go in the cube shelf at the end of the bed.
A reading chair. I would like a comfy reading chair in this empty corner. It’ll be a place I can cozy up with a quilt and read on a rainy day.

Tags

decorating, lists

▶ 1 Comment

Simply Said… Melissa from The Inspired Room

In Home, Life, Simply Said on January 7, 2010 at 9:01 am

As part of SMM’s new addition to the new year, I have a segment called Simply Said where I feature other bloggers and select followers of SMM. Melissa from The Inspired Room is my first guest. She is the reason for the makeover of our master bedroom. She is an inspirational interior designer. Her site is full of marvelous advice and tips for the home. I asked her specifically to help me with a problem I had in my home… keeping the kids and their stuff out of our bedroom. A million thanks to Melissa for sharing her wisdom with us and encouraging me to makeover our bedroom.

I am so excited that Tiffany invited me to share a post on her blog. It was such fun awarding her the HomeGoods gift card and seeing how she has turned her bedroom into a lovely and peaceful retreat.

My husband and I have three children. Two of them have now flown the coup to college, but our 9 year old son is still at home. We’ve experienced all the challenges parents face in trying to keep their sanity while raising children, including how to create a peaceful master bedroom to retreat to as a couple at the end of a long day!

It can be difficult to justify time or money spent on a creating a master bedroom. Not only is it hard to justify it, it is hard to make it happen with kids underfoot! But after being married now for 23 years, I can say with certainty that it is not selfish at all to create a sanctuary for just the two of you! I think a healthy marriage between happy parents is one of the best gifts you can give your kids. If your kids are like mine, they have the run of the rest of the house and take up a lot of our available energy every day. But when we cross the threshold of our bedroom, we need to leave that chaos behind.

Think having a private retreat is an impossible goal right now? Think I don’t know YOUR CHILDREN or YOUR HUSBAND or YOUR HOME? Here are my top five tips that might help get you started, in spite of your own personal challenges!

1. Grab & Box Technique.

If your room is overrun by toys, electronics and piles of laundry, it most certainly won’t feel like a relaxing retreat! If your house is small or you have trouble keeping your room clutter free, here is my realistic suggestion for a quick solution: at the end of the day, right before dinner if you can manage it, do the ‘grab & box technique’ (a highly technical term I made up myself.)

Take a big box or laundry basket and gather up all the stray stuff that has made its way to your room and set it “somewhere else.” While you will still have the basket to deal with later, at least your room will feel clean and ready to unwind in at the end of a long day!

2. Chose Pretty.

Make your bedroom as inviting and beautiful to you as possible. Oftentimes as parents we spend so much money on bills, the kids or the rest of the house we neglect our own space. Pretty doesn’t have to be expensive, and honestly, an inexpensive but pretty room is always cheaper than therapy. Just sayin’.

3. Make Your Bed.

This is definitely a mom thing to say, but us moms need to follow our own advice! While it is a fairly simple suggestion, it is possibly the most beneficial step we can make in our goal of having a peaceful master retreat. Getting into the habit of making your bed in the morning will set the tone for the mood of the room. It will make you think twice before piling junk on the bed or around the room all day. It will remind you to keep the space sacred, and will hopefully remind the kids that this is not their personal flop house. A bed that is made and set up all pretty only takes a few moments of your day. Time well spent, I think!

4. Indulge your senses.

In the rest of the house, life tends to revolve around the needs of family. In your personal space, you deserve to be surrounded by everything YOU love. Think about what you want your room to feel like, smell like and look like. Light a candle, turn on a pretty lamp, snuggle in a soft blanket, open the windows for fresh air and breathe a sigh of relaxation. Whatever stage of child-rearing you are in, this is YOUR space– so indulge yourself and your senses.

5. Lock the door.

Once your kids are old enough, they can learn to knock on your closed door and wait for your response. Even if you are just reading a good book you deserve a place in your home where you can enjoy a few moments of peace away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

If you do not have a lock, I would encourage you to teach your kids about knocking and waiting until they have been invited in before entering. And even better, if you have kids old enough to read, make a sign for your door that reminds them that you are having a few moments to yourself. I know that isn’t really an option when kids are tiny, but once they enter grade school you can expect them to respect your privacy and stay out of trouble for a short while each day.

Having a master bedroom retreat is important for your sanity and good for your marriage — and those two things are a gift to your children! I know I am inspired by Tiffany’s bedroom makeover and her commitment to weekly date nights this year!

Thanks for allowing me to guest post!

Tags

children, cleaning, guests, tips

▶ 5 Comments

Bedroom Makeover Q&A

In Home on January 7, 2010 at 9:00 am

Thank you, thank you. Thanks so much for all your comments, suggestions and questions regarding my master bedroom makeover. I was overjoyed by the responses. Many of you gave great suggestions and I will be working on those next. Many of you also asked wonderful questions that I wanted to answer…

Why are the empty wall frames so high above the bed?

Two reasons actually. One, Nathan and I both like to sit up in our bed leaning up against the wall for support. We do this mostly as we read in bed. Having the frames lower would mean it would be in the way of our heads or backs when we lean against the wall. Two, Nathan pointed out that eventually, when we do get a headboard for the bed, the frames should be high enough where we can keep them there. You can call it laziness.

How much did you end up spending making over the room?

Knobs on the wall — $32 for 4 (used a gift card we redeemed with our credit card points)
Wall paint — $32 for 2 gallons (used a gift card we redeemed with our credit card points)
Corner shelves — $20 for 2
Decorations from HomeGoods — $200 gift card from The Inspired Room and I think I went over by $17
Thrift store frames — $15 for 4
White spray paint — $15 for 3 cans (used coupons)
Drapery fabric — $20 for 6 yards (on sale + coupon)
Drapery rod set — $13 (on sale + coupon)
Blank canvases — $30 for 2 (on sale 40% off)

Total out of pocket expenses: $130

Everything else we had in the house.

What brand of paint did I use to paint the room?

I love Ralph Lauren paints. And Polaris comes from their Thoroughbred Collection. RL has the best colors. All the colors in my home comes from RL. However, I have yet to use actual RL paint on my walls. It’s a bit too pricy for our budget at this time. So I get Home Depot to match the RL colors. One day though, I will be using the actual RL paints. Some day.

Where can I find the tree canvases on your wall?

I am glad so many of you share the same obsession I have with trees. In fact, the other day Nathan and I watched (500) Days of Summer for the first time and in the scene where they were at a wedding reception at night I noticed the gorgeous tree. I said aloud, “I love that tree!” By then, the scene had passed and Nathan said, “There was a tree?” He had to go back to that scene to see what I was talking about. Trees. Love them.

Anyway, the tree canvases is an original artwork by myself. I have a whole post dedicated to the tree canvases I made coming next Monday.

Why are the shelves placed so high?

Two reasons. One, I like to use the high spaces in the room. I think it makes the room look taller. Two, Nathan is relatively tall, 6′2″ to be exact. He comes from a family of giants. The shortest member of his family is his mother at 5′6″. One of his youngest brothers, a twin, is 6′6″. So when we put thing at eye level on the wall, it’s a bit higher for Nathan. Which is fine with me (at 5′6″ myself) in some instances because I have a fear of running into things and hitting my face if it is exactly at my eye level. Maybe I’m a klutz?

Why don’t you put artwork or something in those empty frames?

I am plain and simple. You probably all ready knew this about me seeing the design of Simply Modern Mom. But may I add the word elegance in there? I like to describe my taste as simple and elegant. I enjoy lots of white spaces, open spaces and empty spaces. It’s another way I feel relaxed. I think we all need to bring back the white space. Simplicity is good in a world of busyness.

Although, some of you have given me some great suggestions about what I can put in the frames if I ever decide to do so. Probably some natural elements coming straight out of my backyard.

Why don’t you have more colors in the room?

It was intended to have Polaris as the color in the room. Then white everywhere else. That’s our how we define tranquil and relaxation. The bed spread, guitar, a couple of the bowls and tree canvases provide a few other colors in the room.

Please keep asking questions. I love answering them. Maybe I should do Q&As more often. What do you think?

Tags

decorating, design, questions, tips

▶ 1 Comment

DIY Mounting Knobs on Walls

In Home, Tutorials on January 6, 2010 at 9:01 am

I think knobs can be such great decorations on the wall, especially antique knobs. We have knobs in the children’s playroom to hang their artwork. The ones in this tutorial were for our master bedroom room to hang frames above our bed. There are so many other decorations you can hang on these knobs mounted on walls. But first, let’s learn how to mount them. It’s easier than you think. Don’t forget about the tutorial on how to reuse frames to make ribbon hanging wall frames.

Supplies:

cabinet knobs or any types of knobs that uses screws
strong bolt cutter
screws (most store bought knobs come with screws)
wall anchors that fits screw size
electric drill
hammer

1. Use the bolt cutter and cut off the closed end of the screw.

2. Measure where you would like to hang the knob and drill a hole. Look on the wall anchor packaging to see what size drill bit you need.

3. Place the wall anchor in the hole and hammer it flat into the wall.

4. Screw the knob into one end of the double open ended screw.

5. Screw the other end of the screw into the anchor all ready in the wall.

Tags

decorating

▶ 6 Comments

DIY Ribbon Hanging Wall Frames

In Home, Tutorials on January 6, 2010 at 9:00 am

I decided to make hanging wall frames and the knobs as two separate posts. These are the frames that hang over our bed substituting a headboard. A cheap and simple solution that can decorate any plain walls in the house. Having worked as a custom framer for four years in college, I knew how to do the frames pretty easily. I knew exactly what to look for in a good sturdy frame as I searched the thrift stores. And don’t forget the tutorial on how to mount knobs on the wall for the complete look.

Supplies:

wooden frames
screw eyes (2 for each frame)
ribbons
spray paint
paint primer or a sander if the frame has a seal on it.
measuring tape
awl
hammer

1. Take out the glass, backing, artwork and any matting that were in the frame.

2. Wipe the wooden frames with a slightly dampened cloth or paper towel. Allow to dry completely.

3. If the frames have a sealant on the wood, you will need to cover it with paint primer or sand it down to the original wood. And if you sand it, make sure you wipe off all the dust with a clean damped cloth or paper towel. Then let it dry completely.

4. Spray paint the frames. I used Krylon’s spray paint and it worked great getting the sides and creases of the frames.

5. Remove any staples that held the glass and backing of the artwork using a flathead or pliers.

6. Measure and mark where you want the screw eyes to go. Since you will be tying ribbon to it, you will want it closer to the top corners that will hide the ribbons better. Do to both sides of the frame.

7. Use the awl and hammer to punch a small hole in the back of the frame. It doesn’t need to be very deep, but deep enough where it can hold the screw eye while you screw it in the frame. Do to both sides of the frame.

8. Screw the screw eyes into the holes. Do to both sides.

9. Cut and tie ribbons through the screw eye holes. Do to both sides.

Finished! And with the finished product, you can put artwork in them, or put vinyl lettering on the walls within the frames or hang other items or decor within the frames. The ideas are endless. What would you do?

Tags

decorating

▶ 7 Comments

Master Bedroom Makeover Reveal

In Home on January 5, 2010 at 9:01 am

This is now my favorite room in the house… and currently the only clean room in the house. The makeover for our bedroom began in October when I won the gift card to HomeGoods from The Inspired Room. Since then it has been a journey. One that I could see never ending if I didn’t commit to a deadline. And today is it.

Nathan and I talked about what we wanted for this room, our room… tranquility, relaxation and peace. We wanted a room inspired by nature and the color white. When we shopped at HomeGoods, we were drawn to all the white decorations in the store. We purchased beautiful decorations for the room using the $200 gift card. We also bought a drapery rod on Black Friday. Then I made simple drapes, actually two set of drapes. The first set were too cream colored for me. Those will be going in another room. And we painted the room a grayish blue color called Polaris. I am in love with this color. Everything else is accented with white and nickel colored metal.

Here we go with the before (and more before info here) and the after pictures…

So, what do you think? I love it. Other things we’ve done to the room… First, the craft supplies from the cubed bookshelf are now in my newly finagled craft closet downstairs. I needed a place where ALL my craft stuff can call home rather than some here some there throughout our house.

Second, the ugly covered green couch has relocated to the children playroom. That’s something they can spill on and jump on without me worrying about it.

Third, still no bed frame or headboard. But I concocted a simple solution using thrift store frames, ribbons and door knobs. Tutorial for this coming tomorrow.

Forth, at the last minute (as in last Thursday), I came up with an idea to paint a tree on canvas for one of the large empty walls in the room. I have an obsession for trees. Nothing more beautiful in nature than trees. I finished the canvas painting right before the photo shoot with only one layer of sealant. I will be finishing it up this weekend. But it did make it in the shoot. More on this tree canvas in a later post.

Fifth, my parents gave me the wall shelves that I asked Santa for this Christmas. Then we purchased a couple corner shelves. It worked out perfectly. Nathan also sanded the square framed mirrors and spray painted them white.

Sixth, we moved the cubed shelf to the end of our bed and filled with with white colored spine books. Minor details.

And lastly, the filing cabinet moved into our closet and replaced with this table purchased from HomeGoods.

That’s it. That’s the tour of our new room. Any suggestions?

Tags

decorating, ideas, organizing

▶ 91 Comments

Goodies from HomeGoods

In Home on January 4, 2010 at 9:00 am

September 3, 2009: I entered our despairing master bedroom in a contest at The Inspired Room. Melissa of The Inspired Room was giving away $200 gift cards to HomeGoods. This was when our bedroom was the storage room for all things that didn’t fit anywhere else in the house. Hence, despairing. See link for proof.

October 2, 2009: The winners were announced for the HomeGoods gift cards giveaway and Melissa picked me as one of the winners! And the journey of our bedroom makeover began.

This week I will focus on our bedroom and the transformation it has gone through since winning the gift card. Tomorrow will be my big ta-da! bedroom reveal. There will be an abundance of before and after shots. And I won’t forget about posting about our first date night for Project 52: Date Nights. Wednesday I will post a few home decor tutorials. Thursday, we will hear from Melissa giving priceless tips for the home. She is an amazing woman. Someone who really knows how to decorate. Lastly, I’ll have Friday’s 5 at 5’s list of things I still need to do to our room. It’s an never ending project, isn’t it?

Now back to how I spent my $200 gift card at HomeGoods. It was so much fun spending money that doesn’t come out of my own pocket. I had never stepped foot in a HomeGoods before until that day. Shopping at HomeGoods was a treasure hunt. There will always be something new each time you go in, never know what to expect. If they have it, they have it. If they don’t, check back next time. Or that may be the last one they will ever have. It was adventurous hunting for the best bargain and matching decors. I had to really control myself from purchasing items for the kids’ rooms, bathrooms or the kitchen. I was dedicated to spending the full $200 on just our bedroom. I made three HomeGoods trips before spending all $200.

I gave you a sneak peek back in November of some of the items I purchased. Now you can look…

2 torch lamps… just my style.

1 large milk jug and 2 sets of the dry plants.

2 lanterns.

4 gorgeous flower vases. I absolutely love these.

Another view of the vases.

1 clear vase and 1 package of natural potpourri to go in it. Our room smells divine.

1 set of weaved fruits and 2 bowls to put them in…

1 jewelry tree stand I have been wanting eons ago.

1 table with a drawer.

2 metal wall hangings.

Tags

decorating, shopping, store, winners

▶ 5 Comments

Guest Friendly Rooms

In Home, Inspirations on November 12, 2009 at 9:00 am

{image by Country Living}

If you have guests arriving this holiday season, give the guest room a little more luxury feel by providing…

Luggage rack. If you don’t have one, it is nice to have a place for them to put their luggage, even if it is a short stool or ottoman.
Light reading material. Pull some books from your library or even borrow some from the public library or magazines. Place it on the nightstand with a note, “Thought you might enjoy a good read.”
Extra towels. Fresh towels in the bathroom, but also provide a set of extra towels in the bedroom.
Toiletries. Although most guests bring their own toiletries, it is nice to have some extra in case they forgot something like a blowdryer.
Places to visit. Provide your address and a list of local shops, markets, and events you think your guest may enjoy during their stay.
Sheet spray. Provide a relaxing scent by spritzing lavender sheet spray on the linen.
Alarm clock. Don’t want to miss a flight or an appointment.
Water and glass. A small glass pitcher or carafe is great so the guest won’t have to go in the kitchen for a quick drink.
Stationary. Even postcards are nice to have around for them to send letters home.
Mirrors. Preferably a full length one.

Tags

ideas, lists, organizing, tips

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Master Bedroom Sneak Peek

In Home on November 11, 2009 at 9:00 am

Remember way back when I won that $200 gift card to HomeGoods from The Inspired Room for our despairing master bedroom? Well, I finally got around to doing something with it this last weekend. I was so excited when it arrived in the mail, I was geared up to go shopping. But then things got crazy around here and it got put on the back burner. I visited our nearby HomeGoods and I didn’t find anything I totally loved. So we planned a trip to another HomeGoods quite a ways away and scored some great deals on some fabulous stuff. I’m still not through with the shopping yet, still $60 left on my card. But here’s a sneak peek to a few things I bought. The full reveal will come when we have a moment to clean and decorate. What do you think?

Tags

decorating, shopping, winners

▶ 7 Comments

Adorn That Door With Wreaths

In Crafts, Home, Inspirations on November 4, 2009 at 9:00 am

To tell you the truth, I own only two wreaths. Some of my neighbors have one for every season and they keep the off season ones hanging in the garage. I see them when I walk by and wonder if I should be ramping up my door decors. I am picky about my wreaths because I’m not into the fake flowers and plastic fruits glued to wreath shaped foam. If you can’t tell, I’m the simple and classy kind of gal. The wreath above is my fall wreath. I purchased it last year.

This wreath I made two winters ago. It’s was the first wreath I owned. I had been on the hunt for a Christmas wreath and couldn’t find one I loved within my price range. That’s right, did you know that wreaths could be outrageously prices? Some of the ones I liked were around $80. I decided to attempt designing and making my very own. Nathan laughed because I ended up spending more than I wanted to on it, but still nowhere near $80.

Here are some other wreaths that I like and would like to try one day. Click on photos for more information about each of the wreaths.

Dried flowers and vines.
Photo embellished.
Green gourds and leaves.
Pearl.
Shimmering rectangular leaves.
Quick and simple tape to the wall.

{image by BHG}

Tags

decorating, design, ideas

▶ 5 Comments

Laboring Day

In Home on September 7, 2009 at 12:42 pm

We are under construction here on Labor Day. After entering the Fall Nesting contest at The Inspired Room, I decided that we needed to paint our room Labor Day weekend. It’s Nathan’s only time off until Thanksgiving. I hope I win the contest so we can make improvements to the rest of our master bedroom. Two gallons of paint doesn’t solve all other problems with our bedroom.

Tags

decorating

▶ 2 Comments

The Despairing Master Bedroom

In Home on September 3, 2009 at 9:00 am

Here is my plea in hopes of winning a contest at Inspired Room’s Fall Nesting. I’m an avid reader of Melissa’s website, Inspired Room, and she is giving away $200 gift cards to HomeGoods/TJ Maxx and I desperately need one to give our master bedroom a major makeover this fall. So please pick me.

HISTORY

Even before I got married, I promised myself that my master bedroom would be a relaxing haven where my husband and I can turn to each night. I have this dream of light blueish gray painted walls, lots of whites, and nature inspired decorations. Then we bought our house, three years ago this October, 2 months after Kaye was born. We had minimal furniture and absolutely no decorations. Over the last three years, we obtained a few IKEA furniture pieces and mostly hand-me-down stuff from friends and family.

Then life got crazy. Nathan lost his job. My mother diagnosed with cancer. Nathan going back to school for his Master’s. Elle came into our lives. Nathan started his own business while going to school. And the house got neglected as I was trying to help everyone else. Our master bedroom became the storage place for things that didn’t fit in other rooms.

THE DESPAIRING MASTER BEDROOM

Our master bedroom is relatively large. I haven’t put anything on the walls in hopes of painting it first. Three years later, still plain, empty walls. The white dressers are from IKEA and our bed is new. Everything else are hand-me-downs. Part of the problem is Nathan’s office in our room. It doesn’t create a relaxing atmosphere. Another problem is I don’t have a craft room. So my craft supplies are scattered throughout our room to keep the kids out of it. I would love to store it all in one place.

INSPIRATIONS & IDEAS

The feel of the room: relaxing, simple, natural, classic. I don’t exactly want to go for a theme, but I like the contemporary style without too much jazz. We need to upgrade the lighting, adorn the plain walls, decorate with whites and grays, organize craft supplies with decorative storage, lay a rug, and place a few furniture pieces. I am against having work in the bedroom, however, since the girls are taking up the other rooms, perhaps a nice partition to separate the office part.