Living Room Reveal

 What do you think?  I still have to add a few touches but it's mostly done.  New hardwood floors to match what we put in the rest of this main floor last year, new gray paint, and white trim, wider baseboards,  and a salvaged window turned mirror.

 I changed out a few pillows on the couch otherwise, the furniture is the same.  We decided not to put in armoire back in because the new office has two bookcases on that same wall and the rooms would seem to heavy on that side.  There is no place else to put it in my house so I'm not sure what to do with it.  It is a beautiful antique but not in the best shape.

 I found these windows in at Fred's salvage in SLC.  They were very dirty and look as though they are already mirrored in this picture.  Nope, it's just dirt.  I bought them to put over my TV in the new addition but they are heavy so I had my husband photoshop them in a picture of the room so I could see what they would look like.    It looked like a smiley face with the windows being the eyes, the tv the nose, and the entertainment center the mouth.  It saved us a lot of work and I like them in the living room and office.

I used Krylon mirror paint and a spray bottle of water to create the look of an antique mirror. 

 Old living room decor/colors with armoire.

Which version do you like best?

It is Finally Here!

 My antique bookcase is finally here.  I bought it last September and it took this long to get it shipped here.  It was worth it though.   I absolutely love it.  It is so unique that even my daughter who like modern furniture asked to inherit it.  It arrived Thursday morning and I've been working like crazy to get the office, living room and this room all sorted out and styled.  I know that probably doesn't sound like a big job but it was.  I have a ton of dishes I had to stash away plus all the books in the office.  (I only need a new chandelier to finish this room.  I'm looking.)

 I was going to paint the inside first thing but once it got in, it matched the doors from France perfectly so I decided to live with it for awhile.

 And...oh man, it barely fit.  It literally goes from ceiling to floor.  I think it was made for my space.  I wish I knew more about it.  The women I bought it from said it was from a general store but didn't know where or how old it was.  It was made without nails.  The whole thing is doweled together.  The shelves are all adjustable.  the back isn't original.  I actually don't think it had a back because the bottom cabinet is not backed.  It weighs a ton too.  Good thing it is on a concrete floor otherwise it might cause the floor to sag especially since it is full of dishes inside and out.

 I decided to display my black and and white dishes.  I didn't know I had so many.  They were here there and everywhere.  I didn't spend too much time on them because I'm going to change them for Halloween and then fall and then Christmas.  Can't wait.

 And just so you can appreciate the changes, this is what it used to look like before we did the addition.  I think it is much improved.

 And this is what it looked like for far too long since we had to get everything out of the living room and dining room to add the wood floors.  I'm so glad I don't have to live with this mess any more.  We are finally back to order around here...ahhhh.  It feels so good.

Design Ideas

While in Texas, I shot a few pictures at Pottery Barn that I thought were inspiring. I loved these origami cranes hung from mono filament over the bed. I'm not sure I would ever do it but I thought it was innovative. It could be just the ticket in a room without architectural features.
I love that they were thinking green and recycled crates to add walls and display space. (This picture was included in case you wanted to see how to construct a wall like this. Click on the pictures to enlarge.) We thought this would be useful and inexpensive for a backyard party. We were specifically thinking wedding reception since Eli is getting married in June.
I can picture this as a wall to display engagement and/or wedding pictures at the reception. With a branch at the top strung with mini white lights in the branches, I think it could really look great.
I love how they stacked up the crates to create a display area. Someone has some real merchandising skills.
You could use these as the wedding present drop off area but I think it would take a pretty informal reception to pull that one off. You could make a pretty awesome picnic buffet table by adding a big top on top of this. It could be a unique pedestal table.

Next time you are out shopping, pay attention to the displays. You never know where inspiration will hit.

Halloween Decor and More

If you are here from Between Naps on the Porch, welcome. Please scroll down to the table scape in this post. If you aren't here from Between Naps on the Porch, go there and check out some great inspiration. Happy Haunting...

The front porch all decked out. (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

The family room mantel. I love the garland that Candice and I designed a couple of years ago. You might have seen a similar one available as a kit at Target. Candice had it posted on her blog and I think "Making Memories" submitted it to Target for production. (I have very talented daughters.)
We had lots of company today that had fun making a dent in this candy supply. This was the before level.
A close up of all the beaded garlands.

My Jeni Gochner gourds. She is a talented girl that lives in Salt Lake.
My $2 bird house I bought at a garage sale this summer. I scored! The sweet little birds are from Pottery Barn.
This was another project that Candice and I designed together. It was in the Creating Keepsakes magazine two years ago. It is our 13 day count down to Halloween. (The frame was our inspiration purchased from IKEA.)
We used some heirloom pieces. The #1 tag is made from a shoe buckle that belong to my grandmother. The gypsy box we designed around a picture I had of my grandmother. It was a dance recital picture. It makes me smile when I look at it.
I tried to photograph my dining room table. We are having dinner guests this week. (Don't worry, I'll rewash the dishes before they come.) I designed using things I already had around. I just tried to use them in a new creative way.
I used glass vases as pedestals adding orange tinsel and then turning them upside down. Adding different levels creates so much more interest. I used a mixture of candle sticks, silver beaded garlands, orange ornaments. I did buy the orange votive candles. They are the battery operated kind.



I bought these dishes a few months ago from Tai Pan Trading. I love that store. Very inexpensive. I wish I would have bought a few more. I only have 8. I ripped up cheese cloth and that is what you see hanging down from the chandelier. The spiders I purchased from Pottery Barn this year while I was in Texas. They are scattered though out my house.


See that square silver candle stick? I bought a pair of them at a garage sale this summer. I got them for a great price and just left them tarnished for Halloween. (Don't worry, I won't be lighting the real candles. My house would go up in flames with all that cheese cloth hanging down. Besides, the last time I did light that many candles on my table, it got unbelievably warm. Those candles put of a lot of heat! It was very romantic though.)


The party I having has a pirate theme so here is my pirate treasure display. We will have a photo booth, play our own version of curses at dinner, and go on a treasure hunt. Everyone is supposed to bring their own digital camera to document the treasure hunt. It sounds fun doesn't it?
See...sometimes it pays to let your silver tarnish. The polished pieces just didn't look good. I used a table cloth ($5 from a Lake Tahoe garage sale.) Lots of my grandmother's fakey pearls, and things I had around. This kind of decorating is so much more fun than buying a pumpkin and displaying it don't you think? I do. I love to use what I have hanging around to create something new.
The pumpkins and urn are new this year. Remember I showed you the urn in the last post. Candice and I picked this up at Home Goods for a good price. We didn't know how good until we saw one almost identical for sale for over $200. I was going to put black tree branches in it but this was easier. (This is the top of my piano.)
(The clocks are Lake Tahoe garage sale finds too. They have the best garage sales. I think I paid $5 for both of them.)

And then, my girlfriend surprised me with this cute little witchy quilt. (Four witches with their hats intertwined.) She made 8 of these. I'm amazed at how much she is able to accomplish in life. It was an early Christmas present. I feel so blessed. I still have more decorations...I know you are shocked right? I will post more as I finish tweaking them.

I'd love to see your decor...post your link if you have pictures to share.
(Coley...I hope you enjoyed g-ma's decorations. I miss you all!)

A Front Door Redo

I'm back. I'm not in school. By week two, I re-evaluated and thought I was nuts for trying to get a Masters. I already have a great job and would have to give a four year commitment in order to finish the Master's program in SW and get certified. Instead of school, I've been working on projects, working hard at my job, spending time with my children, and living life. I'll try and catch you up on things. I saw this when I was out shopping with the girls. Cute idea. Use your ginger bread man cookie cutter to make an easy Halloween mummy. I just might give that one a try. Yes, I did get that black urn and those Halloween socks. I'll share what I did with them later. I did want to show you the before and after of my front door. Here is the before.
Here is the during. Three hours of sanding with an electric sander. I didn't know I had so many layers of paint.
So, here's the scoop about the door. I shopped at Lowes Friday night buying 3 cans of primer, and three cans of red gloss paint, etc. Anyway, I got up early to start on the job but no one else was up to help me get the door off the hinges and I couldn't do it by myself. Eli drew the short straw since he was the next one up.

I sanded for an hour before my DH came out to lend a hand for another hour. Good thing we had two sanders. ;) We thought we had it nice and smooth until we started painting and then you could see that it wasn't nearly as smooth as we thought. It also took longer to dry than I thought it would. Come on...it's spray paint, outside, on a nice warm day. (And yes, we did use all 6 cans of paint.)

Now comes the really big problem. I bought a new handle and lock set, plus new kick plate. (The last one was in bad shape making it hard to open the door. Plus, it looked awful.) Who knew that those things aren't universal? Why does the new kick plate have holes in different places than the old one? And why don't the holes for the old handle fit the new handle? It was a nightmare! My husband was none too happy with me since we couldn't put the door back on and have it lock before the BYU football game started which we had tickets to.

I ended up staying home until my niece came to skype the football game for her dad who is living in Spain. They stayed to guard the house while we were at the game. My DH ended up going to the hardware store and buying a new drill bit, redrilling holes, and securing the house before going to bed at 1 am. I think it turned out pretty well if you don't look to close. My husband still says he loves me...but he kind of rolls his eyes when he says that.
A friend of Candices' cut some vinyl letters/number for me. It was hard to get them in the right place since they were individual and not on a transfer mechanism. I've fixed the 3 since I took these pictures.
What do you think?

So now I'm gearing up for Halloween. The Halloween bomb has gone off in my house and I think I am now finished decorating. I'm also having a Halloween party in two weeks...theme...pirates. Think "The Black Pearl" from Pirates of the Carribean. I have my treasure display and my table all set. (My husband's students are coming for dinner this week. I'm using it as a trial run for my party.) I'll try and take pictures tomorrow.

A week ago I was in Texas with Candice. She just moved from NYC. I came to help her decorate her family room. We were girls on a mission and worked hard to get everything completed in a week. I did lots of sewing. (Four drapery panels sewn into black and white stripes 19 feet long plus 2 pillows. She has a 24 foot ceiling. They do say that everything is bigger in Texas.)

She promises to give me pictures of the "befores" and "afters" but it might be awhile because she doesn't want the "after" pictures to have Halloween decorations in the pictures. We had a blast and my DH flew in later in the week so we could see Mark's first play he directed as new professor. It was a great week that went by way too quickly. I don't like being so far away from all my babies. Good thing at least Steph and family live close by.

Monday we are working on a "Max" costume from "Where The Wild Things Are." Eli says that he wants one too. I thought that was hilarious.

What else am I doing? I have picked up knitting again and am knitting a purse to felt. I'm trying to finish up a Halloween quilt...although I have no idea where I will hang it. I made a new valance for my studio space. And, who knows what else I've been doing...hmmm, this morning I watch the faculty play the students in softball. They didn't get enough faculty to play so recruited from local alumni. The faculty won. Who would have guessed that would happen? My DH even made a bunch of runs and didn't get hurt. It was fun to watch.

I went on a great motorcycle ride with my husband up the canyon this afternoon. The colors were beautiful. We stopped at Sundance on the way down and decided to have dinner in the grill. It was a great date. We decided to make it a yearly tradition.

So, life is busy but good. I feel blessed!