winning

I'm winning at lists and life!  I'm channeling the Charlie Sheen in me and telling you all about my victories.  I don't know how many of you caught that I added a little laundry list of projects I needed to work on around the house to my sidebar a bout a month ago?  With my new blog desgin I wanted to add it to the "tabs" section across the top of my page, but in reading it over, I discovered that I've done quite a few of the things already!!  Total win hiding in plain sight!  Are any of you "box checking" kind of people?  I LIVE by lists - it's a sickness really.  If I could do it without driving my friends and family nuts, I'd "Type A" the crap out of EVERYTHING I lay my hands on.  So, posts like this are really cathartic to me.  Here was my original list (in really no particular order), and crossed off are the items I've already finished...

• Finish digging out pool
• Add pictures to frames
• De-clutter bedroom
• Buy cushions for dining chairs
• Install vent in guest bath
• Replace and paint pantry doors
• Buy new dishwasher
• Buy new refrigerator
• Sew pillows
• Add trim to curtains
• Hem curtains
• Hang curtain rods
• Spray paint wall sconces (<-actually starting to like their color?  I'll document this in a post soon)
• Paint pantry
• Paint laundry room
• Remove popcorn ceiling
• Paint living room
• Paint family room
• Paint hall
• Remove fluorescent kitchen lights & replace with track lighting

 WOW!  I'm super excited - I've completed 6 of my original tasks!  And now I will show you all most of them. 

#1: De-clutter bedroom
Here we are before...

And after...

Just kidding.  Neither of those are my house.  You'll get bedroom pics soon enough (<-sounded wrong??), when I update you on our decorating progress in there!  Suffice it to say that I sorted, boxed, labeled and stored everything in a neat manner (remember my Type A sickness?  It's a real thing, people). 

#2: Buy cushions for dining chairs

Before...

After...

 We now have these on all 8 - woop woop!  Sorry you don't get a real picture.  It's nearly impossible to make cheap you-know-what IKEA chairs look classy.  They have a hard enough time keeping all 4 legs on the ground at once, lol.  On to...


#3: Sew pillows (read more here, here, and here) 

Before...

And after...

This was a big one.  A ten for me on the "winning" scale of one to awesomeness (otherwise known as ten).  You can also see evidence in this last photo of....

 #4 & #5: Hang curtain rods and hem curtains (read more here)

Before...

And after...

  

The curtains have added such a wonderful element to our living space - I LOVE them!  And last but certainly not least...

  #6: Paint pantry (read more here, here, and here)

Before...

After failed attempt at paint color choosing #1...
 

And the real after (I decided the fire-hydrant yellow color was burning my corneas)...

I think I'm pretty satisfied with what I've done since mid-July!  It's been a month and I think this was a lot to accomplish, along with going back to teaching for the year (can you say exhaustion?!).

I'm hoping to tackle these items next...

• Replace and paint pantry doors (<- so, so  SUPER EXCITED!  It involves chalkboard paint!)
• Add pictures to frames (<-we have lived here for 2.5 years - this is embarrassing, lol)
• Remove fluorescent kitchen lights & replace with track lighting (more IKEA coming our way)
• Make another chevron lazy susan for a giveaway on a friend's blog...  Maybe do a giveaway here?  Not sure if people would actually want something I made, lol.  I'm no Cassie or Natty, after all!

Are y'all box checkers like I am, or do you fly by the seat of your pants, or something in between?   What are you planning for your next projects?  Do share!  Happy Tuesday, friends!

time for a snooze

Maybe it's just because Eric has been gone on business all week (coming home today!)  and I've been staring blankly at our bedroom walls trying to fall asleep, but I've noticed something: our bedroom sucks.  It's filled with JUNK, and is the only room in the house which we haven't recently organized or spent any time/$$ on, and it shows.  Big time.  We have white walls (not a bad thing in and of themselves!), a matchy bed set, a rug with stains on it (inherited this way - stained rugs are NOT my thing.  Go figure...), and files all over everywhere.  It's not soothing, and it's embarrassing.

That being said, I'm not rushing into ANYTHING with this space.  I want it, more than any other room, to be perfect.  It's Eric's and my space that we don't share with anyone else (except Ted, obviously), and we are so jealous of our time together, it needs to suit us to a "t."  I think this is why I've been too intimidated to start anything: I don't want to do anything I won't absolutely love.  I'm just beginning to gather inspiration and begin planning.  Thanks to my Pinterest addiction, I've come across some inspiring spaces...

Soothing colors and white wood are so bedroom friendly.  However, my set is cherry, and would look a little strange with the same bedding.  One thing is for sure, I wouldn't say "no" to that sunburst mirror.  Yum.

Pretty sure I've posted about my love for this bedroom before.  It's so cohesive, I think that's what I love - I know it's not the yellow...  I find yellow to be one of the least relaxing colors for me.  It's a great color and I have some in my home, just not in Napville (i.e. the bedroom).

EVERYTHING about this is incredible.  The monochromatic color scheme is so classy, but not boring.  The textured wall covering makes me want to rub my face fingers all over it, and just say "yes" to bathroom barn doors.  Sign my name on the dotted line, I'm movin' in!

Curtains behind the bed are so awesome.  This may actually be a tactic I use in our space, considering we have one oddly-shaped and off center window near the bed.  Hmmmm, now the wheels are a-turnin'...  P.S. The upholstered headboard is to DIE for. 

I would describe this look as classy, but unfinished.  I like the bones of the space: window framing, color scheme, bedding, chair, etc.  But it needs something.  Make that window a bay, and throw in a window seat and load of pillows.  That's what it needs!  That or a rockin' statement rug between the chest and the foot of the bed/bench.  Yep - done and done.

 

 

And last, but certainly not least, my favorite.  It's cheery, the colors translate well from seaon to season, there's some patterns involved, natural wood (like mine!), comfy seating, AWESOME lamps.... I want to model our room after this one.  Now all I need is.... everything. :-/  This will have to be a work in progress, I guess.  Eric will, of course, have to sign off on everything too.  This one will take a while ladies and gentlemen.  Buckle up. 

What's inspiring you lately?  Are you as addicted to Pinterest as I am?  I hope you're having a completely fab Thursday, friends!