10 Minute Transformation

With all the long and stressful projects I've been tackling, I decided that I needed some instant gratification. Mike had a plain bulletin board and I had some leftover fabric and 5 minutes later:

I also decided to do something temporarily with the office window:

Not perfect by any means-- the proportions are off, the fabric is wrinkled etc But it's a lot better than the light pink mini blinds that used to be there!
I had the curtain rod and panel already and I just rigged it with some ribbon-- really took about 5 minutes.
 It's a weird window and I really hate the arch. I've been contemplating this window's fate for 6 months! Roman shade? Blinds? Curtain panels? Blah. I ordered some faux silk 95" panels to try and I also want to try some burlap panels. Since I made the burlap panels in the dining room I've been dying to use them somewhere else. They filter just the perfect amount of light and wouldn't block the view entirely.
Some inspiration pictures:

and pics of arched windows with full panels:

I'm never finished

I've been busy as usual! I've been working on about a dozen projects simultaneously (because I'm a glutton for punishment! haha). I seriously feel like it's never ending. I'm in the process of completely redoing our guest room- painting it right now, but new curtains, new accessories maybe even a new bed!

I'm working on convincing Mike that we really need this:

or this:

I'm also putting in new flooring and painting our sun porch. Plus sewing a new roman shade for the office. Seriously. I'm.Never.Finished.

But I love it!

New Eclipse Trailer!

WHOA!

Holy hell, Christina Hendricks is so gorgeous it's ridiculous.

and I just read that Mad Men is coming back in July!! Woohoo!

I've been M.I.A. for a reason :-)

Sorry for the lack of blogging, but I've been busy! I've been working on our backyard and we've accomplished a ton in the past week. We had the sun porch re-screened, had both decks power washed, bought patio furniture, I planted a ton of flowers & started an herb garden etc etc etc Seriously, the list of projects just goes on & on. It's so fantastic to have an outdoor living space- we've eaten dinner on the deck a few nights this week. :-) I'm planning a big post on all the projects, but here's a sneak peek of our progress---
here's the new screened in sun porch:

I'm painting next week and putting in a new tile floor.
and here's the new patio set:

good fences make good neighbors!

Please look past the massive amounts of leaves, Ellie taking a bathroom break, the ghetto dog kennel left behind by the previous owners and Mike's Crocs... we have a FENCE!!! Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For some reason very few houses in our little town have a fence and it drove us crazy. We decided to spend a little bit of Mike's annual bonus on a privacy fence, and it was completed earlier today. The dogs are in heaven and we love the PRIVACY!! No more looking into our creepy neighbor's yard... no more late night walks with JB & Ellie. It's awesome. And I already have big plans for that yard! We already have a pretty cool fire pit, some wooden benches and a nice deck- but I can't wait to plant some flowers and make it a nice little sanctuary. This is my next project-- stay tuned!

out of my comfort zone!

I am absolutely loving the warm weather that we've been having. I'm ready to put away the jeans and bring out the warm weather clothes! I recently purchased both of these outfits & I'm loving them:

I'm usually not a leggings kinda girl, but I've stepped out of my comfort zone and I'm giving them a try! I figure as long as my butt is covered, I'm okay! :-)

The Big Reveal

After a few annoying teaser posts, here it is-- Our new master bedroom!

I am so happy with the outcome! It's actually a room I want to spend time in now, instead of a room stuffed with odds and ends and hand-me-downs. The only thing I have left to do is to buy new lampshades. 

This was all done on a budget, but I'm really pleased with the end result. Here is the breakdown of where I purchased everything:

Furniture: Target & Walmart

Bedding: Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart

Mirrors & Art: Kirkland's

Accessories: Dillard's, Hobby Lobby, Kirkland's, Pottery Barn

Painting above the bed: our dear friend & super talented artist Brooke

My next project is already in the works-- the guest room! :-)

my lucky day

I went out today to look for a mirror to go above our new dresser and I hit the jackpot! I was going to head over to Hobby Lobby because their mirrors are 50% off this week, but made the decision to stop off at Kirkland's first. I found out that our Kirkland's is moving next week to a new location (and they're expanding, super happy about that!!) anyway, they're moving so everything is on super clearance. I scored a $150 mirror for $23! I also picked up some new artwork for the recently re-done master bathroom, some artwork for my plate wall and two sconces for the bedroom. I did some major shopping and saved a ton of money! 

When I talked Mike into all new bedroom furniture I assured him I could do it on a small budget. I think I've definitely succeeded! The price breakdown is above. I scored one of the Canopy dressers brand new and still in the box on Craigslist-- so instead of paying the $299 price tag we got it for $175. The other dresser we purchased from WM so we got to use our corporate discount and paid $270 instead of $300. 

I apologize for the iPhone picture, but I have a post planned for tomorrow with pictures of everything-- the new nightstands, new furniture, art etc!

a preview!

Our grown-up bedroom is almost finished! The second dresser arrived yesterday and I had it set up by the time Mike got home from work. That's right, I've put together all eight pieces of furniture that we've purchased in the last month!! I'm proud! I'm on the lookout for a mirror to go above the dresser. I'm leaning towards a round mirror I think...

I was about to list our old bedroom furniture on craigslist yesterday when I decided to do a little research. The furniture was a hand me down when I got my first apartment after college. It's from the Broyhill Brasilia line, and it turns out that it's pretty collectible. So for now it will live in our guest room. I just can't imagine selling it on CL for $50 when it really is neat stuff.

Anyway, as soon as I have the new mirror and put on the finishing touches to the room I'll do a big post.