Sugar and Spice

The new color of my daughter Liv's, room was a hit with my close friend who was visiting from out of town. She went home and painted it in a couple of her rooms. The color is Celery Sprig by Behr. But I can't take credit for this one, my creative and talented mother-in-law helped both of my girls with their rooms and they turned out great.  I'm not joking when I say that my mother in law would give Martha Stewart a run for her money (except I don't think she knows anything about surviving in prison)! She has an incredibly beautiful way of decorating with items that represent the most peaceful and intricate parts of nature; Olivia was lucky enough to benefit from her touch. Having her work with the girls on their rooms gave us a chance to work on other areas of the house, otherwise I'm not sure how long it would have taken to get to them.

Before! I thought these unique shelves may have to go but luckily Grandma Caralee saw some potential in them...

After! the shelves add a lot to Olivia's room and the paint is a much better shade of green!

Stay tuned to see Kylee's room. Also, Saturday morning Kylee and I demolished my sons dropped ceiling after my husband made a remark about the girls not helping to move something in the yard (a hot tub no less!). We wanted to flex our muscles and show off our "girl power". My son was suppose to tear down the ceiling himself weeks ago, this was the perfect project. We have a few projects in the works right now that should be wrapping up during May, including this one!

Cheers!

Reclaimed Wood Tables

When we walked through our home for the first time we thought it might have a cellar. Turns out we weren't alone in that assumption.  There was a wood platform in the flower bed and everyone who came to the door would say, "Is that the entrance to your cellar?"

Don't forget to check out the Before and After Gallery on the pages link at the top right, after this post!

A cellar in an 80's built Utah home? Eventually we found out from the neighbors that the original owners built the platform for a porch swing. Once the snow melted and we started on the yard we pulled it out of the flower bed. When we flipped it over we both had the same idea! It was redwood that had probably been aging for about 15-20 years. The underneath had been painted and the paint was beginning to flake off. The wood was in fairly good shape and the paint was safe... We decided to make furniture out of it!

We gently scraped off any loose paint with a putty knife.

Yes, in less than 6 months I decorated and then redecorated the entry. But I'm set on this.

Matching set of tables, entry and console, viewable from the entry.

I still can't believe we were able to make two tables out of that platform, and the one under the TV is 72"W x 20"D x 36"H. I saw a man throwing away really neat looking old wood at the dump a couple weeks ago, I don't think he realized it's value. I just shook my head, but had I seen then what I'm about to show you, I would have asked for it!

Restoration Hardware Catalog: 72" Table: 72"W x 39"D x 30"H .

Price

$2695 ea Special $2290 ea

See for yourself: Restoration Hardware Reclaimed Wood Table

Morale of the Story: Unless its rotted, don't throw out your old wood. Keep it or list it for sale!

Building the entry table took Jayson about 30 minutes (or less) and the entertainment console took about 45 minutes. They seem to blend in with my eclectic style. I'm going for a careful balance of chic meets traditional, so some sparkle and clean lines, with traditional furnishings and details.

I'm loving my tables!!!

HGTV Style Quiz

HGTV Style Finder Quiz said:

Your style is Classic Casual

AKA Transitional. A mix of contemporary and traditional. Usually updated, graceful, enduring.

 I couldn't agree more with my results. Give it a try:  HGTV Style Quiz


Still finishing up that half-bath. Truth be told we haven't worked on it much lately. But here's the Before Shot just to peak your curiosity. Try not to be jealous of that pink floral linoleum!

Don't forget to check out my Before and After Gallery under Pages on the top right.

Before and Afters with More to Go

Alright, well  I've had requests to see more before and after photos!

...So I created a Before and After Gallery. To get to it click on the page links in the box on the top-right side of this page. 

This weekend we spent time wrapping up details on the main floor. Right now we're in the middle of remodeling the half bath. We also need to wrap up some details in the family room downstairs, and my sons room (also downstairs) needs some love: the ceiling is acoustic tiles hung about 7 feet off the floor. Originally his room didn't even have it's own entrance. To get to his room you had to go through the basement bathroom. Weird! So, we finished the storage room that was on the other side of his wall and turned it into a game room with an entrance into his room. We left the bathroom Jack-and-Jill-Style so he still has access to it. But the game room isn't completely done either. So there's plenty to do and still plenty to share! Plenty!

Check out the new gallery. Cheers!