Work in Progress

We survived the first three days of school and now it is the weekend. My husband works a retail job where he works more weekends than not and this is not our most productive time. Projects are left for the next day off and this is the current state of my house:

Dining room sans carpet waiting for new flooring.

Fireplace with new backer board. Tile coming soon. Oh, a peek at the new flooring!  

I am loving it.  

The nook is finished, but the kitchen still has linoleum.  We are getting there!  

Squished

 While in the dining room I had a revelation.  The curtains have always bothered me in this room because the rod is so close to the moulding.  These are 95" panels already and I did not want to fork over the dough for longer ones or ask hubby to move the rod.  For some reason I had him install the brackets right next to the window and my curtains were squished.  All I did was move the rods out a bit on each side and covered the bracket with the curtain. Duh! The windows appear wider and not so squished.  

First Day of School 2012 Edition

Well, this was a BIG day for Madeline who started kindergarten today!  I am anxiously awaiting dismissal so I can hear about her day.  Wyatt was more than excited this morning as he woke me up at seven fully dressed and ready to go!  

Here are our traditional first day snapshots.  

Luke escorting the big school kids.

Wyatt insists on "one strapping" his book bag.  Thanks Wimpy Kid!

And for the record I did not make a scene as I dropped Madeline off.  I can not promise that this will be the case next year when I drop my baby off though.  

Happy new school year to all of you!

Master Bedroom Gallery Wall

Since bedrooms seem to be the theme this month I thought that I would end the month with a little update of the master bedroom.  Last year I started a little gallery wall on one narrow wall and decided to move it to a larger space when I purchased a set of matching frames from Ikea last month.  I chose the Virserum (the same line as the two above my bed) to keep things matchy-matchy.  

My inspiration for silhouettes in the bedroom? My real life bff, LaNae.  

Here is her lovely vignette.

Source: tatteredtulips.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I had the inspiration, but not the expertise in photoshop, but Samantha came to my rescue with her tutorial that does not use photoshop!

Source: craftytexasgirls.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

For a fun spin on the traditional silhouettes I did mine in yellow.  I am on the hunt for a vintage number 5 for that little blank corner, bur overall I am pleased with the new addition of color and interest.

I Love Us and Monogram sources.

Little Updates to Little Spaces

Luke's room was feeling a little left out since I posted updated pictures of Wyatt and Madeline's rooms. Very little has changed in his room over the last two years except a few new accessories and a modest stuffed animal collection.  I blame Aunt Chelley for this.

Another little update is to my desk area in the nook.  The white frames were feeling a little bland for me and while strolling through Lowes I picked up a sample of Gypsy Teal for an inexpensive update.

Source: lowes.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Before

Gypsified

Billy Pair and Felt Food

When we moved in I bought Madeline a fifteen dollar book shelf that I have absolutely hated and although the Billy is not expensive it is nicer than the standard pressed board shelf.  We purchased two small, narrow Billies in Atlanta with the option to add more when the need arises.   I also gave the little shelf above a coat of my favorite spray paint.

Madeline was given her Great Grandma Penney's tiered tray and I thought that it would look adorable with felt goodies.  Cookies, cupcakes, and rolls were added and are ready for impromptu tea parties!

I used this cookie and cupcake tutorial to create these felt yummies.

The jelly rolls and swiss cake rolls are simple rectangles rolled and sewn together.

Kitchen Pulls

Remember when I shared my cabinet pull purchase?  After searching four local hardware stores for a template we ended up empty handed.  We were able to pick one up at Ikea while in Atlanta (love Ikea).  Matt installed the new pulls before we painted so the finish on the cabinet will not be compromised. This is my first time to have cabinet hardware and I like it! The floor project is setting the kitchen timeline back a bit, but hopefully not too much. 

Every day I set out cups for the kids that they use throughout the day.  For some reason my husband is the only one who used twenty cups a day.  Ok, I am exaggerating just a bit...

Wyatt's Superhero Room Reveal

Wyatt's room is finished and I am pleased with the end result.  Last month I shared my ideas for this room and am happy to complete this little project for a little under $90 total.

"New" student chair that cost a little less than $15, but makes a big impact.

I loved these free prints and found clearance frames at Target for $4.18 a piece for fun art pieces.  New lamp shade from Ikea for $3.99.

Comic duvet and sham  for $29.99 from Target, which was the inspiration for the new look.

These comic book art canvases were just what I had in mind for this fun room.  Wyatt and I picked out four favorite comics from Half Price Books  (all comics are an additional 20% off on Wednesdays) and Mod Podged the covers on 9x12 art canvases.  We spent $7.50 on the four comic books and $14 on the canvases.  These comics are all over twenty years old and one of them is thirty-six years old. Iron Man is my favorite.