Craig's List Finds

I often times will check out what’s listed on Craig's List.  Today I thought I would share what caught my eye in my home state. 

Nebraska!

On a side note….did you hear that Nebraska made #3 on the happiest states to live! 

It makes me ask why and how?  But then I remembered this picture I took last year.  The deep green of the land, the bright blue sky above, and the gentle rolling hills sets me in a good mood.  There is just something peaceful about this place.  I guess I’m not alone if Nebraska made #3.

Onto Craig's List…chairs, chairs and more chairs.  I think I might have a thing for chairs and bed frames(keep scrolling down).  Side chairs can be cleaned up, maybe reupholstered and BOOM! you have a new extra seat.  Maybe the extra seat could be a place where you drop your coat in the entry area…or a seat you can pull in for extra company in the family room…or a place to snuggle in and read a book in the bedroom.

These chairs are being sold at a second hand furniture store in town.  I had never heard of this store before.  I meant to check out the store on Saturday but ran out of time before it closed.  Neither one had a price that was listed.   The barrel chairs look like they are in great condition.  It’s hard to tell what the fabric is but it looks like a suede or leather.  Either fabric would look nice in almost any room coloration.  If you were to reupholster them it wouldn’t take much fabric.  And if you could do it yourself it would be any better.

The recliner had some interesting detail on the arm sides that would give a room some texture.  The fabric looks like a faux leather that I don’t know if I would keep.  I actually can see this chair in my little guy’s room as a side chair.  A chair that he can kick up his feet and read a book or watch some TV.  But looking deeper at this picture the seat cushion doesn’t look to soft.  I can just imagine myself sitting on it and just “sitting on it” not sinking in.  I’m thinking it would be very comfortable.  So maybe scratch this picture.  All it’s got going for it is the arm lattice detail.

These chairs I would take in a heart beat!  They are a set of 4 Danish teak wood desk chairs for $100.  I like the tapered leg, contoured back piece and the mid-tone wood color is nice.  If we were ever to refinish our basement I could see these chairs around a game table.  They’re not too big but look comfy for your bum and back to sit and stay awhile.  The seat and back piece look like the fabric is just stapled on and so it would be fairly easy to reupholster.

These chairs I totally envision in a master bedroom as a chair for a small writing desk or a chair for a bathroom.  They are a rosewood chair for $100 each.  To me it seems a bit high, but the selling point of the listing was the needlepoint work done on the seat.  Sorry to say if these chairs came to my house the fabric would be ripped off!  Not my style!  The open back of these chairs would feel quite light in a room as opposed to feeling chunky.

This bed again I totally would purchase!  It came in a set of a dresser and some other items so I don’t know of it’s price alone.  The listing didn’t say they wanted to keep it all together or if you could buy individual pieces.  The wood is a Birdseye maple.  To me it looks masculine; not a whole lot of curvy lines but has some detail at the top to keep it interesting.  With this wood so light I would pair it with a grey plaid of hounds tooth bed fabric with white sheets.  OH I wish this could come home to me!

Anything brass I HAVE to like!  This brass full-size bed frame is listed for $100.  I love that it would give any room some shine!

This bed also came in a set and I don’t know of it’s individual price.  The set included 2 night stands and a dresser.  It all was a bit to matchy match for me!  The thing that appealed me about this bed frame is the detail of the turned wood.  Definitely want to show that detail off!  With this bedding it’s not doing it.  The bed frame and bedding just blend together.  Using a lighter bedding fabric would take care of that.  Unfortunately it’s a queen size and me the hubs need our king.  But sure is nice to look at!

And lastly only in the Midwest would you find a 1940’s horse drawn sleigh for $1500.  How awesome would this be if you had an acreage!  But I guess a person would also need horses!  And horses are in a whole other category themselves.  Besides who has a need for a sleigh and plus who really wants to go on a sleigh ride in the freezing cold?  OH well it looked like a fun thing to have and a romantic trip to take with a loved one.  As once heard on Seinfeld, “there is just something about the clip-clop sound people go nuts for”!

Thanks for reading!

Bye for now,

My Little Guy’s Christmas Bedroom

OK.  I swear this is the last Christmas posting I will do!  I just had to share this one.  Mainly because it was a fun adventure. 

One Sunday afternoon in October we went out to some land that my husband hunts on just west of town.

My main reason for going there was to look for some old wood.  Maybe a smaller tree that had fallen.  Plus I wanted to find some sticks that I could use as branches.  Once again my husband thinks I’m a little crazy.  He doesn’t see the picture in my mind of what I want to construct with this old wood.  And once I tell him he still is somewhat skeptical.  I remember watching this clip on the Martha Stewart show on a upcycled table top tree.  I found the video and watched it again and knew that this was something I wanted to do for my little guy’s room. 

Once I gathered what I needed we had a little fun in the woods. 

After we got back my husband cut the tree to the length I wanted along with cutting several stumps in various sizes.  If you watch the video it will explain the procedure on how I’m making my woodland tree so I’m not going to describe it in detail.  It was not hard but you do need a saw, drill and some wood glue.

Of course little guy needs to help.  He was my helper in cutting the branches.  For this picture I told him to just “do what he was doing”.  Can you see him being all stiff and looking out at the corner of his eye.  Too cute!

And here it is all decorated and displayed in his room.

I had all the red and brown ornaments from last year but added a few woodsy items for this year’s woodland theme.

I’m really impressed at myself with the star I made.  Several years ago I cut and scored cereal box cardboard and glued it into a star.  Last year I glittered it for his tree.  This year I attached a wire to connect to the top of the tree and I wrapped it in twine.  I wanted to incorporate twine into it because of the woodland theme.

I added some wood “stumps” and “logs” for added affect.  The bottle brush trees are from my Department 56 village collection that I attached a wood stump to.  And the green yarn cone trees I constructed last year.  Wrap yarn around a cone and add a small ornament to the top.  Super easy!

I also made these snow globes minus the water last year as well.  An old pickle jar with some bottle brush trees and some faux snow.  The kiddos love playing with these. 

The stuffed bears throughout his room are from my childhood and theirs. 

Isn’t this old toy truck neat!  It was once my father-in-law’s when he was a boy.  It still has the string attached to the front where he used to pull it outside.

I tried to incorporate all kinds of animals in the forest.  There are bear, deer, beaver, squirrel, chipmunk, fox and a ceramic owl.

And here’s the little guy again hard at work.  I told him “to pretend” putting some Legos together.  As you can see he couldn’t quite do it with a straight face nor did he know what to do with his arms and hands.  Too cute!

Sorry you have to be reading about our Christmas in January.  I guess I’m still trying to figure it all out on how to get everything in.  Until then…

Thanks for reading!

Bye for now.

girls’ bedroom inspiration

Today I was playing around with my newly downloaded trial version of Photoshop Elements 11.
 

It’s pretty cool! 
 

I was looking for a program that I could easily understand and work with.  I just did this design board in a short amount of time.  This program is basic but has all the features I wanted.  I put this together with proposed fabrics and rug for my girls’ bedroom.

 

In my “redesigning our house finishes over for my interior design portfolio” this is the look I want for my girls’ bedroom.  I classify it as “Vintage Glamour”.  It’s definitely going to be more of a classy and grown up room but yet it won’t look too old and stuffy.

I fell in love with the floral fabric!  It will compliment the existing pieces that will remain in their room.  That fabric is a keeper and is my jumping off point.  You can pull so many different shades of pinks, purples, grays, browns and a touch of orange, which one sister is very partial to! 
 

The upholstered headboard could easily be a DIY project instead of paying hundreds of dollars.
 

I have always liked the layout of two twin beds side-by-side with a small chest in between.  There is just something about this layout that creates an atmosphere for quiet private sisterly talks.  I guess it’s something that I wished my sister and I had.  We had our own room but I do remember asking if we could remove the wall between our bedrooms so that we could share one space. 
 

Here are a few pictures of what I am thinking about.  You can find all of these and others by following me on Pinterest.  I’m constantly looking for new inspiration.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping!
 

Bye for now.

back to bunk beds

  Last weekend we decided to put our daughter's beds back to bunk beds.

When our little guy was born and the girls started sharing a room the beds were bunk beds.  After only a few short months we took them apart. 

I was not in favor of this change at all!  I definitely was the minority.  I liked them having their own beds to lie on at ground level.  Plus I had pictures and shelves displayed nicely on the walls.  If we were to do bunk beds then all those items would need to come down and be moved. 

Now having the bunk beds again really opens up the room and gives the girls plenty of space to do whatever.  My oldest has complained here and there of not having her own room.  But secretly she has said that she would be sad if she were to move to our finished basement bedroom.  She is on the top bunk and it gives her a space to get away to do homework or read, which has erased her need for her own room for now.

In all of the rearranging and taking down pictures and shelves, we have decided to update their room.  The girls definitely don't need to have ABCD wall art anymore!  Like a landscaping budget, we have little-to-none decorating budget we need to do this on very little money.  

So I thought I would show you our process.  It will probably be slow and take several months, but it will get done.  We need to create a space for them to call their own.  

To start I'll share some of my favorite ides that I want to include.  For about a year now I have been ADDICTED to Sarah's House, Sarah 101 and Design Inc, and addicted is an understatement!  I absolutely love how Sarah Richardson mixes the old with the new.  She will find vintage or just plain old and ugly furniture and give it a face lift.  She will also take a vintage quilt and totally update the room with fresh paint colors and fabrics.  When you see the finished room the old things blend so well with the new.  It makes the room look polished instead of old and outdated.  I love it!  I want to incorporate this idea into the girls' room.  I don't want it to be all matchy match, it needs variation just like the personality of these two girls that live within.

Sarah always has a "jumping off" point and it usually is fabric.  She pulls room color, furniture color and other upholstered items from this one fabric. 

I have furniture in the room that is painted, and I want to keep them painted white, along with roman shades that we need to keep.  The curtains are optional - I would like to keep them mainly because I really like polka dots and it also could be money spent elsewhere. 

Here are a few pictures of what the room looks like now. 

I loved the paint color back then and it went well with the princess theme we originally had, but now it needs a fresh updated color for two growing girls.  I'm not afraid of color but I was thinking of doing something neutral.  When I threw out the word "beige" my oldest was totally disgusted and pleaded with me for it not to be.  I want the walls to fade into the overall theme.  I don't want them to stand out. 

I SO can see doing wallpaper on one wall as an accent.  Handy husband is SO not on board with that one!  More than likely the room will just be painted.  BOO!

Now that we have bunk beds again it has opened up all this floor space.  We brought up a chair from the basement to watch TV.  I think we will ask relatives at Christmas time for new chairs so both girls can have a spot to sit.

I am just sick of all the clutter!  You can see some of it on top of the nightstand and dresser!  In this redo we need new storage ideas for the closet and probably just weeding through the things that are not played with anymore.  This is not a big room...how do other families do it?  We have personalized space in the closet for little trinkets and keepsakes.  Gosh, I guess we need to go through it almost every couple of months!

You can kind of see the bed skirt we installed on the lower bunk in this picture.  Sorry I didn't take more pictures.  I will have to do that and show how we did it.  It totally hides all the clutter under the bed.  It makes the room seem more bedroom like - something that we didn't have before.

I'll keep posting as we make decisions and as the room changes.

Thanks for stopping.

Bye for now!