Holy Stripes Batman

Like that? We're talking stripes today! Oh what fun. ;)

Continuing on the guest bedroom revamp, I'm showing off the wonderful (yes tooting my own horn) stripes on the feature wall. As you saw on the before photos I've painted a stripe before in this room, but doing multiple stripes on one wall I've not done before. That requires a bit more calculations and measuring to make sure each stripe is equal distance a part. Not that it's hard, it's not, just a bit more time consuming.

So I used our measuring tape and with a pencil calculated the entire wall surface from the base board. Then I divided it based on the amount of stripes I wanted, four, and marked each spot for the middle of each stripe. It worked out because the wall was a total of 96 inches. Divided into 8, four stripes need a top and a bottom line which makes it 8, and you get about 12 inches in between each stripe. Yup, that's right I was good at math in school. LOL

And after two coats of the stripes and a couple hours later, I finally finished the wall!! Taking a blanket that we had from downstairs, the bed now has a softer color. I'm not in love with the blanket but I'll need to hunt for a replacement one.

I'm not in love with the space yet. The paint and stripes certainly make a huge differnence, in a good way, but I need more color and some art work for the room. That will help to make it more of the relaxing oasis I want it to be. And I'm searching craigslist for a dresser so I can paint that the coral color! Whoo hoo. And in case you didn't notice, the curtain is a reuse from the laundry room makeover. That's another DIY project in the future. ;)

Guest Bedroom Revamp

As I mentioned in my earlier post, my guest bedroom is desperately in need of a change. So with that, I took to Pinterest and pinned a couple images to get some ideas started.

I really want this room to be have a relaxing feeling. It's a space that my husband doesn't care about so I don't have to take his feedback into consideration (which is awesome) so I can do whatever I'd like. I'm giddy with excitement. ;)

So first I went to Lowe's, my home improvement store of choice, to pick out some paint samples. I want something like and airy, so I immediately went to the creams and light biege colors. I picked out Valspar Honeymilk as the main paint color for all the walls and Valspar Vanilla Steam for the stripes on the feature wall.

Here are a couple before photos of the room:

Now I'm geared up and ready to get this project going! ;)

And here are a couple after photos with all of the walls now a blank slate!

I'm actually very tired from painting two coats on all of those walls (negative with the husband not caring about the guest bedroom? I don't get his help. BOO!). So the stripes will be coming up soon! ;)

It's Time For a Change

Yup....it's that time again. Time for a change in good ole Luce household. This time my eyes have set their sight on the guest bedroom!

I'm not sure I've ever talked about the guest bedroom before. When we first moved into our home 4 years ago, my sister-in-law was living with us and it was her bedroom. So she picked out the paint and decor to make her style. It's been several years since she's moved out and we've just had the rules hold our futon and other junk items when my in-laws come to stay (which is actually quite frequent).

So with that in mind and my need to change something up, I've made a board on Pinterest to get some inspiring ideas!!

As you can see, I'm trying for a light color scheme for paint but adding some personality with accent colors. This is the room where my first DIY chair is located which is an apple green color which is why green is showcased in this board. But I also LOVE blues-I mean have you seen my house-so I know that'll be incorporated. But there's something about the stripes that draw me in. So I think I'd like to try my hand at that on a feature wall.

These gorgeous photos of the beach have stolen my  heart!! I really want to get them (although they are a little pricey on the Etsy shop) because they are so beautiful and encompass everything I want this room to feel. Calm, relaxing and just plain beautiful!

But I'm curious whether I can have a piece of furniture that is coral to go with these photos, when I already have blue and green going on? If not a piece of furtniture, I am certainly going to do like knobs on a dresser or something. How cool would that be?!

I've never done this before, but I love how my girl Shelley from House of Smiths does stenciling in closets/pantries. So I think I might take one weekend and accomplish this. I mean how cool is this!?!

And the other thing I totally want to do is another gallery wall, but include some family portraits with a vibrant background & maybe have Bailey's picture span into two frames like the cat below.

I'm super excited about redoing this space. Not necessarily for my in-laws, but because I want a space I can be proud of and currently it's not that space. Plus, eventually it'll be a nursery and I think having some neutral colors on the wall with a few pops of color will work perfect when it comes to decorating a space for little baby Luce. :) Stay tuned for more updates on this space!

Laundry Nook Revamp COMPLETE!

OMG, I am so excited to share these photos.

So a couple days ago I posted that I am on organization overdrive, well I am pleased to state that my main organization project is complete and boy does it look amazing! Here are some before photos....

Love this curtain

View of nook from Kitchen

Now you see, it's become a dumping ground for everything! EEK!

Well, keep that last picture in your mind because now that space is one I am SUPER proud of!! Ready? Here is what the space looks like now....

First step, wall decal from House of Smiths

Adding a decal on one of the baskets

Basket complete....lovely ain't it! ;)

Another view, I'm super proud. lol

Wall decal on the wall. I painted a gray stripe w/bubbles for extra cuteness!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
 TA DA!!!!

Final results! Can you believe the difference??

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Love looking at it now. Looks so weird w/out the curtain.

Pretty, pretty wall decal!

Decided to use black duck tape to make it stand out less.

As you can see, we added a third shelf which is used for the small appliances. Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but we don't actually have a pantry in the kitchen. We had to build a makeshift one our of kitchen cabinets, but any small appliances or extra grocery items (from big box stores) had no home; therefore, went into the laundry space since it's right off the kitchen. And as you can see from the before photo, a lot of things had the same problem. But now, I have a couple baskets empty just waiting to be filled!

So with a little work and some extra $$ I wanted to transform it into a space I loved. After all, I have to walk by it multiple times every single day!

Total budget:
-Paint FREE (left over from another project)
-Shelf & brackets: Lowe's $15
-Baskets: Walmart $70 (6 baskets for $35-extras placed elsewhere in the house)
-Wall Decals: House of Smiths $20 (shipping)
TOTAL: $105

Not too bad for a completely renovated space! :) So whatta think??

Projects for the Weekend

I've just gone done traveling to Arizona for a work conference and I'm ready for my weekend to come. I have a lot on my mind in the way of DIY projects. I went to Lowest the other day to try and accomplish this one project that I saw on the Crafty Scrappy Happy blog, but I didn't see any racks that would work. But sadly it didn't work out, none of them were "wowing" me with the character of the one pictured. So I moved on....

That being said, I recently saw this idea on Pinterest (we all know it's my  latest obsession) that I think would be a perfect solution. It meets the criteria of being funky as well as functional, and I'm sure I can score some awesome frames from my go-to place T.J. Maxx. It's from a crafty blogger, MyUncommonSliceofSuburbia.com

So that's on the agenda for this weekend. I've already assembled a shopping list, which I'm sure Ryan will be pumped for; this girl just returned home & she's ready to get moving! Hope this energy lasts for all the projects I have in mind for the weekend. LOL :)

Eclectic Tastes

I think I may be maturing. Why do I think that you ask? I’m starting to see my tastes change. As we grow older and take on more of life’s experiences obviously we are going to perceive things differently and bring that experience into other areas of our life. Well, I’ve been married for almost four years. Have a precious “baby” Bailey and have lived in our house for close to 3 years. I’m settled into my career and really enjoy what I do. I’m content with my life. And that’s a great thing!

 

So what am I getting at? My comfort in my life is translating into my home décor style. When I first got out of my parents place I brought all new things at a local furniture store. It had to be new and it had to match. After all, this was my first adult-like purchases. We’ve moved several times since then and we’re settled into our home. Now, however, I look at my home and think of ways to personalize it to match our style (that is a perk to home ownership)! Case in point is the Fireplace Reno. We took an unused fireplace and made it useable space by mounting our television on the wall. Adding an accent color to the space and gave functionality to the room. 

    

In my attempt to give New Life to Old Frames I made a collage on my wall. It’s a mix match of frame styles and colors as well as other art pieces arranged in an off-centered manner. The old me would have measured and make sure it was asymmetrical; whereas, the new me loves the eclectic mix. That same diverse mentality has focused on a new television unit. With the television mounted on the wall, I want a new TV stand to sit higher and offer more storage. And no box furniture store unit is going to do! Instead I took to Craigslist (a new found love which I will write more on later) and found this amazing piece…

Ryan is keen on the gold, but we'll see how it works.
Maybe pick up flex from our picture frames!

Yes, it is a dresser but I'm re-purposing it!

Debating on painting the handles to a pewter color. May look sharp!

Look at the amazing detail. Seriously...

Not that great of a picture, but I'm thinking it'll look
perfect in the living room!

I pick it up tomorrow and I am super pumped about it! I love the movement and curves and the antique nature is exactly what I wanted. This piece will give the room character! And for the price, even if the paint is badly chipped and in need of repair I can certainly do that & come well under any entertainment stand I’ve seen in department stores! This is definitely a score for me. 

If I decide to change it up, I'll be sure to post the before & after photos! :)

Fireplace Reno Complete

As I’ve mentioned in my previous blog “Bye-Bye Fireplace” Ryan and I were having work done to our house to get the ugly old fireplace out and finally be able to use that wall! After a week of renovations, the work is complete! Take a look at the changes…

Old Fireplace

NO fireplace! :)

With the placement of the television on the wall, we were able to rearrange the living room and really separate the two spaces (living and dinning areas). I am absolutely in love with the color (thank you Ryan) and am so happy with the results.

 

Next up? We are going to iKea this weekend to see about an entertainment unit. If we can’t locate anything, we’ll (I mean I’ll) be exploring the possibility of built-ins. :) Isn’t being a homeowner grand!