Basement: in progress

It's here: an updated picture of the basement. New windows, subfloor, carpet, and paint. I'm enamored with all the improvements and can't decide which is my favorite. Natural light, warm floor, soft carpet, or clean, earthy paint color.... all totally awesome. Also awesome is my hardworking husband who works tirelessly to make me happy.

I mixed together 7 partial gallons of paint to come up with this sagy green color. I love how it turned out. I poured over greenish paint chips for a few weeks until my husband encouraged me to just mix my own. I love to paint, it is one home improvement project I can do without my man's expertise. So, I have a lot of paint and most of it is in the natural shades. 

There was one scary point when I had about 3 gallons total mixed and the color was MINT. In a panic, I called my interior decorator grandma and pleaded for help. She recommended mixing in some red and dark brown and I was back to the earthy tones I crave. She also suggested working with a small amount in a cup and keeping track of the ratios I added so I didn't end up with a 5 gallon "oops." Brilliant woman.

And now I need a little design help. I am purchasing fabric for slip-cover for a couch that I got for nearly free. The whole fabric series is on clearance, so time is a-tickin away.

Paisley

Stripe

Geometric

Dot

I also want to do something on the 4 small windows, maybe a roller shade. It's easy to snoop in basement windows, so I would like to be able to cover them when we aren't playing down there.

My first thought is paisley for the couch, stripe for the windows. That's the safe bet, but is boring.

I'm drawn to the playfulness of the polka dot and that groovy geometric print. Leave me a comment with your input! You will save me from asking my husband one more time for his opinion and getting that glazed-over "Please don't ask me about decorating" look.

PS All the fabrics are medium upholstery weight and are the same clearance price.

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The office: reveal

The office has been done and functional for quite some time. But you know me, form is just as important. I put together some more of the details and finally want to show it off.

The curtains were a big purchase for me, but one I am so happy with. The walls and rug are taupe and the existing desk color is gray. I was concerned that the mix of cool and warm tones would give me hives. 

Then, I saw these curtains at Ikea. A prefect blend of cool and warm and a happy print.

The table was a garage sale find with "the" West Elm burlap panel used temporarily as a table cloth.

Curious about the roll-up shade? It is a rug I got in Africa for pennies and liked that the blue'-ish striped matched the curtains and that the yellow added an unexpected flare. The yellow also ties in a few other things in the room like my pictures on the next wall....

Picture frame: an old wood frame window I cleaned up and stuck some random prints in.

Shelf: Jeff made in shop class and was going to give it away when I realized it would work perfect in the office.

Blue ceramic pot: my Grammy painted it and I wanted to give it a place of honor. The branch thing is actually living.

Fan: found it in the basement when we moved in.

Jars: My sewing accessories are stored in these 1/2 gallon jars.

I asked for a label maker for my birthday. It has been so much fun! I think I'm a bit addicted.

I should have taken a "before" picture here. It was just SO awful. Every shelf was stuffed with random papers and junk. This was the project Season and I tackled when she came to help me organize. It was helpful when she asked questions like, "What do you need the purpose of this space to be?" "How often do you use this stuff?" I realized that much of my space was taken up with scrap-booking items and I haven't used it in 3 years. Those things went to a less convenient spot in the closet where I can still get to it, but isn't taking up valuable real-estate.

I now have my basic crafting supplies front and center and I find I'm using them all the time. Adhesive? I can find it. Cutting tools? They are all right there (including a pair of scissors that does not leave the box). Paper? It is all in an easy to carry tote that moves to the desk and back into the closet again when I am through. It is organized, but not micro-organized where it takes too much time to put it away right (i.e it doesn't get put away right and then is shoved back in the cupboard so we can organize it again in 2 months). The tote system, with NO LIDS, is a great idea. Thanks Season!

On top of the cupboard is my piano music. I found 2 large boxes of music in the back of the closet and I whittled my entire collection down to about 1/20th of where I started. I kept what I wanted to actually play again or could use to teach my own kids. There were a few sentimental pieces and I kept those too, but I put them on display in my living room (framed on top of a piece of burlap... am I obsessed with this cheap fabric, or what?). Nate Berkus says, "If it is important to you, put it out so you can be reminded and enjoy it. If it isn't important, get rid of it." 

The large glass jar is now holding my yarns. I got the jar at an auction for $6. Jeff was really confused that I wanted it, but I told him Pottery Barn sold them for $69 and he totally understood.

Potty Barn's glass jar version and it doesn't even have a lid!

My original plan was to have this desk service crafting, schooling, sewing AND the computer. Several people told me that was a bit much for one desk (I think "ridiculous" was the word used). The computer is across the room. We are using this desk all the time now and loving it. It was a free find from many years ago and I painted it what I thought would be a steel gray, but turned out blue. 

Thank you IKEA curtains for pulling it all together.

The "art" on the window wall is brought to you by my children. I stretched twine between screws in the wall and clip their latest creations up with clothes pins.

On the left on the desk are current school books the girls are working in. Ikea's magazine boxes work perfectly for containing this kind of stuff. I have the boxes all around the office, $5 for 4.

And finally, the computer desk. If you remember, it was in the kitchen. The central location was great, but it was TOO present in my life. In an effort to use my time more wisely, I needed to have the computer in another room so that using it would be intentional. It is working! 

I can keep  the girls entertained in this room now and we also do school here. It functions beautifully and cleans up fast because we don't have too much of anything any more. And the best part is, if it doesn't get cleaned up right away, I can close the door.

Thanks for coming on a tour of my space with me. All 100 square feet of it. :)

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$1 Bulletin Board

BHG inspired me with this picture of framed bulletin boards.

I've been thinking about it for more than a year, looking for a good frame and throwing ideas around in my head about what would work for the backing.

The frame is another second-hand find.

$1.

I used two layers of cardboard for the "bulletin board" backing.

I still had lots of the old burlap that Jeff found in the barn and I used it to cover the cardboard.

Hot glue came through for me again. 

Gluing right along the edge first and then folding the fabric in made a finished edge. Just in case anyone is looking at the back of my frame.

I stuffed the covered cardboard (which was even sturdier than I thought) into the back of the frame. A little glue really holds it in place.

I think my office is as done as it going to get, so look forward to a reveal tomorrow.

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Re-purpose? And giveaway.

I was shopping at my favorite store, a local thrift shop called H2O, and as usual I was determined to find a treasure. This place has lots of junk at really cheap prices. What's not to love?

I was almost done combing through the bargain basement when I saw a smooth and elegant piece of fabric shoved in the piles of yucky 1980's pilled sheet sets. I pulled out the fabric to investigate and found what appeared to be a curtain panel, about 40" by 108." The tag said "West Elm," so you know I bought it even though it was pricy at one whole dollar.

It appears to be brand new with packing creases still intact. I looked on West Elm's website, but this particular curtain is no long available. Their similar panels are $60 and up for one.

The fabric is a smooth, sheer burlap and the edges are bound in satin. Really a dramatic and lovely piece.

I'm a fan of West Elm for their sophisticated, modern country decor. Rustic finishes made chic with polished accessories. But wow, is their stuff expensive!

But now my question is.... what do I do with my amazing curtain panel?

My earlier shirt-turned-pillow inspiration tapped out my genius. I'm at a loss.

I don't have any single windows in the house where this panel could go, so it needs to be re-purposed.  Please, please leave a comment with your ideas. 

If I use your suggestion, I'll send you a Starbuck's gift card.

Thanks in advance for your help!

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A deal I couldn't pass up.

I have a hard time paying full price. A good deal is a rush. I was at Old Navy and found a clearance shirt for really cheap. Really, really cheap.

Marked down to $1.47

The problem was my new mantra: if you don't need it, don't buy it!

I tried the shirt on, a nice white button-down, and I looked like a waitress. 

But it is $1.47!

You will never wear the shirt and it will be a $1.47 mistake.

But it is SO cheap.

Don't buy something you have no purpose for.....

Thinking of re-purposing the shirt made my head spin. What could the shirt be in another life?

Remember this post about the jammies turned pillow?

I wanted to make a couple of pillows out of the remaining fabric from my curtains.

I decided to use the shirt front as the back of the pillow where I would need to make a closure anyway.... buttons and placket saving me the work. And the plain back of the shirt would be the lining under the curtain fabric.

I used a pillow form I had from a time gone by.

And drew a square on the front of the shirt 1/2 inch larger than the pillow form to allow for 1/4" seams.

Thank you Fellowship of Christian Farmers for the free ruler. It was a great help in my project.

This guy was a helper too. Need a ruler, pen, measuring tape, or scissors? He'll run off with them on the double. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a servant nature.... not just a naughty nature.

Still the project took only 30 minutes.

I used a seam-ripper to take off the pocket.

This is the curtain fabric. I just cut it the same size as the shirt/square and pinned the lining to the front so I wouldn't get confused.

Right sides together with the left-over tab tops from the curtain sewn in the corner. It was a design gamble, but I am happy with how it turn out. Very shabby-chic.

I unbuttoned the back of the pillow (the front of the shirt) and inserted the pillow form.

And the back:

Thanks to the old-navy shirt for making a cute pillow possible!

I found this picture of some beautiful bedding from Ethan Allen:

Take a gander at the price of the throw pillow pictured on the middle of the bed....

$119.00

$1.47 plus a few scraps. I love a good deal.

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[Little] Man Cave

I've been curiously absent for nearly 2 weeks. The reason is because I am buried up to my eyes balls in the biggest organizational/purging episode of the century. The huge ordeal was brought on for a few reasons.  These things were bothering me:

• Why can our family of 5 go on vacation for days on end with only one small suitcase each, yet we have extra THINGS that fill our 1,600 square foot house?

• I feel stress when the house is messy and cluttered and at peace when it is picked up and clean. How can I keep it that way so I function as a happier wife and mother?

• WHY CAN'T I FIND ANYTHING? A pen, scissors, craft supplies, a bill that was due 2 days ago, tissue paper for a gift I want to give, that shirt I KNOW I bought for Mandy's birthday 3 months ago, white thread to fix a button, scissors (again!), a flashlight, batteries for the flashlight..... it goes on and on.

No matter the size of our houses, there is always going to be a way to arrange the spaces that is the most functional. The way things were wasn't working. I tried doing "The house that cleans itself" method many times, but never followed through with the steps:

• Pray through your house and ask for God's guidance.

• Get your family on board. I could not have done this big project without my husband's support, encouragement, and strong muscles (he moved the big desk downstairs, Rem's room upstairs, and the craft cupboard into another room).

• Make a list of what clutter collects in a trouble area. Define what needs to go in that space (if I try to re-train myself, if doesn't stay organized).

• Purge. And purge some more.

• Give away. I had so many things I wanted to give to this person or that person. The really important things I put in a gift-give-away-box, the rest I just gave to our local second-hand shop, Help and Hope 2 Others.

• "If it is not serving you, you are serving it." My friend Season told me this and it hit me hard. There are so many things in my home that I have been giving service to, causing me stress, and for what reason?

• Sort. General piles work best for a really bad mess -- mine was the craft cupboard and it was hard for me to keep it general like, craft supplies, pictures, kids craft stuff, school, office, business -- I tend to get stuck micro-organizing and get discouraged when I haven't made progress. I had a friend come help me and she kept me on task!

• Put-away box. For all those things that already have places, but need to return to their home. If you walk around putting them all away at that moment, I'll get side-tracked and start cleaning the grout in the entry-way. The put-away box has been a life-saver.

• Organize each GENERAL pile into catigories, but keep them broad. I've found that I can't put everything away quickly and consistently if things are micro-organized. Use boxes and containers you already have and make a list of what you need with dimensions after you already know what needs to go where.

There are lots more tips in the book and it is a great way to organize your home. I am still in the process and doing things the right way this time. Slowly but surely, I will have a functioning house.

So now for one reveal (Rem's room):

The floors are painted pine in dark blue and I stenciled a filigree around the edge back before I had children and had enough time to watch paint dry.

This room is at the top of the stairs and was formerly the "Gun Room." It was storage and Jeff kept his reloading supplies and gun cabinet in there. It also became the catch-all for all the stuff I didn't know what to do with. At a mammoth 6.6' x 10' feet and no closet, it isn't ideal for much. Jeff moved his stuff into the guest room and organized and purged all the "what do we do with this stuff?" stuff. Now we have a guest/gun room -- isn't that normal?

For Rem's room, we needed his crib, changing table, his clothes, diapers, sheets, storage for his "too-big" clothes, "outgrown clothes", and dirty clothes. That should fit in a 6.6' x 10' room, right?

It all fit! There is even enough room to make it pretty -- or as pretty as a Man Cave will allow.

I bought a rug and that was the only expense ($40 for a 6' x 9' rug at Bi-Mart). The tiny room is right above the dining room and we wanted to dampen the sound a little. It works well and cozies up the place too.

I painted and that was more of an ordeal than it should have been. Thinking I could mix white and brown to make mid-brown, I ended up with a gallon of pink paint. The end wall ended up brown, a delicious chocolate color I stole from my sister's kitchen redo. Thanks, Lou! The rest of the walls are just cream-ish. Boring, but Rem told me he doesn't care.

All other decorations were moved from one room to another, downstairs to upstairs. The wall being slanted made it tricky to hang some of the stuff, but I got over it. His room is cozy and warm and perfect for him.

 Easy-going fellow that he is, he doesn't need much: food, shelter, and his favorite toy, the toilet plunger. I wish I was kidding. On my list today is to find what the baby boy did with the toilet plunger... it is MIA and that's not a good thing.


Room number one is functioning beautifully. And that leaves a nice sized room downstairs (with a closet) available for.....


Stay tuned for the pictures of my next project.


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