It's all in the Details

    
 When I thought about how I wanted our bathroom to feel, I knew that I wanted the look between the bedroom and bath to be seamless, so when I had extra fabric left over from our bedding, it made sense to follow suit with the same colors in the bathroom. 
      I started with the window covering.  I wanted something that was going to look tailored and not overly fussy.  I decided to go with a box-pleated valance made from the magnolia home java pattern in turquoise that I used for the euro shams in the bedroom.  I, not being a seamstress myself, enlisted the help of my grandmother.  She made making this sew (ha ha) easy.  I planned on taking pictures and detailing each and every step of how she did it, but with the little ones running around this was near, no just plain impossible.  Tanks to her it turned out fabulous.  Once I placed it above the window the room began to feel finished.  Something about adding window treatments makes a room so much cozier. 
      Next, I had to decide on how I was going to fill this huge bathroom.  To increase the coziness factor, I added pinch pleat drapes from nearly the ceiling to the floor.  Making them extra tall helped to add to the drama of the room and show off the high ceilings.  I again enlisted the help of my grandmother.  This time I actually helped.  I feel certain that I could make these again.  I hope to put my skills to use in the dining room soon.  :)
      I wanted the overall feel of the room to be light, bright, and most of all, coastal.  I think I was able to do just that without breaking the bank.  Some money saving tricks that I used were buying fabric remnants which are typically 25% to 75% off price per yard prices.  I just happened upon the Jennifer Lopez rug for  $3.  Buying things on sale and at discount stores can make every dollar go further, and no one will ever be the wiser. 
      Here are a few detailed images of the finished bathroom for now.

DIY Chevron Painting

Well, I finally did it.  After spending countless hours on all of those overly addictive how-to websites (which shall remain nameless), I decided to get up the courage and paint my very own chevron paintings.  I say "paintings" because that is what I intended on doing.  As you can see, there is only one chevron painting in the end product.  This is because of the tedious work and the time I spent working into the wee hours of the morning on the first one.  It just so happened that the NBA finals were on, so I was free to do as I pleased without interuption for the night.  :)  This was a very easy project, but do not undertake the chevron pattern unless you plan to spend at least three to four hours on one painting. However, it was fun and I ended up with exactly what I wanted.  

        So here is how I did it.

    First I gathered all of my supplies:

       *  ruler

       *  two 16 x 12 canvases

       *  acrylic paints, sublime lime, jack-o-lantern, fuscia, real navy (Apple Barrel Paints)

       *  angled brush

        Begin by measuring out a 1 x 1 inch pattern grid on your canvas.  I chose to use a 16 x 12 inch canvas because they were large enough to make an impact, but not too big for a bathroom.  Also, they were very inexpensive at Wal-Mart.  I can't remember what I paid, but I think it was around $6 or $7 for a two pack. 

       Okay, back to business.  After measuring out your grid, draw diagonal lines forming little triangles onto the entire canvas.  Do not skip the ruler.  The straight lines will ensure that your chevrons turn out symmetrical, which does mean much to some, but is EVERYTHING in my book. 

       It's starting to resemble something great, huh?  The trick here was using an angles brush.  This made the lines much easier to fill in without having to rotate my surface every time I painted a different angle.  This process took a long time.  As you can see, the paint does not look that great.  In order to get the solid non-patchy look, I had to paint four coats.  The pink color is fuchsia by Apple Barrel Paints.  To be honest, I could have done one more, but I was exhausted by this point and ready to hit the hay.  

       After painting my first color.  I chose my second color to fill in the white areas.  I chose sublime lime by Apple Barrel paints.  I found all of the colors at Wal-Mart for 97 cents a piece.  Yay!  Something cheap for once!  For the lime color I only painted one coat.  I say it's because I was going for the shabby-chic beach look, but really I was just tired.  

       Okay, here's what is looked like before adding the green.  As you can tell, it's coming along nicely.  

      And here is the final product.  I will mention that I used "real navy" by Apple Barrel Paints.  It took three coats to achieve the dark look of the silhouettes.  I also finished off the sides in the same color.  

      

      I hope you enjoyed reading and decide to paint your own!  I know my kids are going to love them in their bathroom for a long time! :)  Happy crafting!

Making Our New House Into a Home

Our new home in the country

We are finally here!  This is the house that we have dreamed of for eight years now.  When we finally sold our first house in December, we heard from family, friends, and people on the street :), about how hard it was going to be to build a house.  "This will be the most stressful thing you ever go through", was what everyone said.  I have to accredit our low stress level to my father who watched over the entire process with his eagle eyes.  Some friends of ours were buildling a house with America's Home Place, so we immediately called and asked for a tour of their home.  Being the sweet people they are, they welcomed us in showing us every single speck of their house.  The next day we were on the phone with Americas Home Place in Columia, SC.  Working with the team there was by far one of the easiest things I have ever been through.  I highly recommend this builder to anyone looking to build their dream home.  

Getting settled into our new space has been our goal over these past few weeks. Before moving into our new house in the country, my husband and I decided that we would take in slowly, only unpacking the things that we truly loved.  I have very selectively begun to fill our home with items that I have spent time looking at and contemplating in advance. 

The first space that I tackled, along with the help of my grandmother and excellent seamstress, was the master bedroom.  I wanted the house to have a coastal feel, but not look like I bought out the souvenir shop at the beach if you know what I mean.  Although the room is far from complete, it's coming together with a feel that I couldn't have dreamed of.  Here's what we have so far.

I have purchased an antique bench with rolled arms to place at the end of the bed, but it must first be recovered to replace the dated mauve crushed velvet that it is currently in.  

The headboard was a breeze to make.  I first consulted numerous blogs on how to achieve the look I was going for, and found the perfect one on Censationalgirl.com.  All of the fabric in this room was bought from remnants found on Fabric Guru.  The nail head trim was bought online from Beacon Fabric.  

I am so excited about getting to start from scratch and create a cohesive look throughout our new home.  Next on the agenda, the master bath.