Master Bedroom done

I think I am finally happy with our master bedroom.  My husband gets frustrated with me and says I always want to change things but I think men just don't understand us women.  We have all experienced the feeling when you have decorated or organized a room and you just know it is not quite right.  It is missing something or it just needs a few tweaks and changes in order for you to be satisfied.

The master bedroom was one of those rooms; lets just start with the fact that after I got a new bed frame and mattress (which I do love the look of) then my queen duvet no longer fit the now much higher bed.  Every time I made the bed the comforter was way short on one side and it drove me crazy.  I decided to live with it awhile instead of rushing out to buy a new comforter but lets just say it constantly bugged me so I gave in and started the hunt.  I wanted something very simple and as many of you who have seen my house know I love blue.  I guess after years of helping people get organized and seeing a variety of spaces (some of them more cluttered than others) I gravitated to blue because as a color it calms me and has a clean look.  I went to multiple stores and yes ended up at Target with surprise, surprise a solid blue comforter with a tone on tone pattern.  I do love it and I can switch out throw pillows if I ever want to change the look.

Second challenge was artwork.  I had a rather plain sunburst hanging above the bed that I had spray painted bronze to give it a new look.  In theory it should have worked but it just didn't add anything.
My husband of course had hung it already and put a nice hole in the wall but a little patching and paint and it will be as good as new.  I ended up finding a set of 3 mirrors at Target and decided to hang them over the bed instead.  Let me just say I do have quite a few mirrors already in the bedroom but I love to decorate with mirrors because of the way they reflect light and brighten up a room. 

I can't say that I won't occasionally tweak a few things but today I am pretty happy with the end result!

Its the little things...

I finished the guest bathroom quite awhile ago but the bench I found at Marshalls was just okay.
The fabric on it was a brown pattern that was less than exciting.  I finally found some Chevron fabric the perfect shade to match my wall color and decided I had to recover the bench.

For those of you who have not recovered anything with fabric before it is pretty easy and makes quite a big difference.  I love to buy inexpensive cork boards and find a fun fabric to cover them in.
All you need is a handy staple gun and usually a second set of hands to help you pull the fabric tight while you are stapling.  This is a great cheap way to dress up a kids room or office.

I will have to show you my office boards later.  But anyway back to the bench...

                                                        Before:

                                                                   After:

Some long overdue updates!-The Powder Room

I am obviously way behind after some busy holiday months helping clients.  We have finished up some projects and have some updated photos to share.  I have been trying to put the finishing touches on a few things and tweak some areas I was not happy with.  Lots of rooms are done-its such a great feeling!

The powder room:
I finally found a small black square mirror which was harder than it sounds.
My husband gave me some dog prints I wanted from Ballard Designs for Christmas ( after a few hints.)
I love the way they look! I was trying to stick with a black and white theme because of the black and white floor and I think it all came together nicely.
I am still on the hunt for a skinny vase for the corner but it is 99% done.

Since the house was built in 1940 we wanted the powder room to reflect that-we fell

in love with this black and white tile flooring.

Here is a little reminder of what we started with:

A little off topic...Meet William

This may be a little off topic but I couldn't resist.  This is not exactly a home improvement  or organizing project but this cute face does add a certain coziness to our house.

Meet William, our shihchon, a mix of a Bichon Frise and Shihtzu.  We got him when he was 8 weeks old and not even 3 pounds.  He is almost 12 weeks now.  He is cute as a button and light as a feather.  But 100% puppy!

The breeder told us that he was the most mild in his litter.  Which I took to mean the calmest so I can't imagine what his brothers and sisters are like!

 We got through a few sleepless nights.  By "we" I mean me, while my husband slept like a baby.
 Of course, if you were suddenly pulled away from your mom and all your siblings you might be a cry baby too.  The way they all pile on top of each other to sleep must be snuggly and warm.

We did try a "Snuggle Puppy" which was basically a very overpriced stuffed dog with a pouch to insert a hot pack and a heart that you put batteries in.  I was super excited that William was going to love it and think that it was one of his litter mates.  When I mentioned it to my uncle he laughed out loud and said good luck with that.  Now I know why.   I think even at 8 weeks William was smarter than we gave him credit for.  He was not fooled by this imposter snuggle puppy.  And I do have to say the beating heart was like something out of Edgar Allan Poe.  If someone put me in a crate with a loud beating heart I think I would be freaked out too.

We got past the first week and now he is a good little sleeper and getting more and more independent by the day.  He really loves the outside and is quite a fast runner.  Since we are on almost 8 acres we decided he has to be on a leash.  He is certainly light enough to be carried off by a hawk and most of the wild animals are bigger than he is!  So we keep him close just to be safe.

Anyway, I had to show off his cute face while he's still so little...

Kitchen is done..well almost!

It's been awhile since I've shown you the kitchen. We finally got it finished with the exception of our table and seating that I am working on! I want to create a breakfast nook with some benches but it is hard to buy existing pieces. I think I need the handyman to build something.

Here are some photos of kitchen before and after. My husband did the demo and back splash himself.
It was a process but I think it turned out great! We love the blue glass tile.

The kitchen island and pot rack came from overstock.com and really made everything come together.
You gotta love free shipping!

Kitchen when we moved in:

Kitchen after:

Mudroom artwork

I am still tweaking the mudroom with some artwork and added touches.  One thing I really wanted to do was make a section on the wall with some dog themed artwork.  We lost our dog of 14 years a little over a year ago so I felt like I was ready to put a big 8x10 photo of her up and look at it everyday without being sad.  It actually makes me happy to see her cute face every time I go to do laundry.  My husband says when we get a new puppy he may be jealous but we can add his portrait to the collection:)

We also got a wooden shutter at Habitat and distressed it and added hooks to hang in the mudroom for our keys.  I may add a little bit of cream paint so it doesn't blend with the wall color so much but I think it turned out pretty nice for now.  That is an easy fix...

Laundry Room

Once the mudroom was mostly finished then of course I had to work on the laundry room!
I can't do one and neglect the other.  We used the porch and floor paint again which really made a difference.  I have found though that it does scratch quite easily.  I guess because they are such high traffic areas and maybe I should have used a primer as a base.  Of course when I read some other DIY blogs they said their porch paint has held up over 2 years without a scratch.  Maybe they did 10coats or maybe they used a different brand.  But you live and learn!

I went to Marshalls and got some cute baskets in gray and white patterns to put some practical items in that I wanted quick access to like rags, old towels and mopping and dusting supplies.  Which was great because then they looked cute but were practical so I don't  have to hear my husband grumbling when he can't find something.  (not that he would ever do that)  Instead he is more likely to say "you organized it out of existence".  That is his favorite saying instead of admitting that like most men they don't see what is right in front of them.

 I decided to get a chevron rug for the laundry room because I love chevron and my husband thinks it is too trendy.  So I get my "chevron fix" and he is fine since it is just a laundry room:)
I did get an outdoor rug because it is so much more practical for wear and tear.  And vacuums beautifully.  My mom even looked at the rug in the mudroom and said that looked like it would be rewarding to vacuum.  (now she does love to clean so everyone may not make a comment like that)

The coat rack shown in the picture is one of my favorite things. I love, love, love it!
I had my eye on it at Ballard Designs and thought it was a little pricey but oh was it worth it.
At my old house I had to hang all my delicates on the shower rod to air dry which was such a hassle and I kept waiting for the day the rod would crash from all the weight.
This rack is rod iron so it is really strong, looks great and holds so much.  They even show it in the catalog in an entryway or mudroom for coats.  Much better than all the garment racks I have seen clients try that always fall apart.

Anyway, enough rambling. Here is the before and after of the laundry room.

I still have to tweak a few things and add some artwork but at least the bulk of it is done.