10 Years Later....

One of my favorite rooms in our house is the master bedroom.  Notice what the color is ;)   There is a recurring color theme throughout my house.  My favorite color is this blue/green color.  When we purchased the paint for the exterior it was called "Ocean Fog" and now my children always say "Look mom there is an "ocean fog" ______."  They know I will like anything in this color! I originally painted this room a country blue when we moved in.  I struggle with finding a color I like with the pine furniture.  We purchased the bedroom furniture for our wedding.  I preferred to have furniture over an elaborate wedding ring and I still don't regret the decision.  Sometimes I dream about painting the pine a nice creamy white and distressing it, but my husband isn't game.  We had a weimaraner  named Otto for 13 years.  Within the first month that we had him he chewed up the corners or our bedroom set and let his mark.  Every time I see the damage I think of him.  It could easily be hidden by paint, but sometimes we have to let the husband think he has a voice.  For a long time I just had plain cream colored curtains and kept everything very monochromatic and calm.  Then I found my dream Pottery Barn curtains on Ebay and they were mine!  The whole reason I chose this paint color was to match these curtains - and it only took about 3 years to find an affordable pair.  About 4 years later I found the matching quilt and shams on Ebay for a price I was willing to pay.  So it only took about 10 years for me to say this room is "done." But nothing is ever really done at our house, just as complete as it is going to be for the moment. 

 

 

Our bed is so high from the ground that a normal bed skirt was too short.  I found the blue fabric at St. Vincent DePaul and sewed a band along the bottom of my bed skirt.  Crisis averted!



My blue mason jars.  They are in almost every room of the house.  When my sister got married quite a few years ago we used blue mason jars and white hydrangeas for the table settings.  I collected well over 40 jars for the event and now they are spread all over my house.  I don't think I will ever get tired of that color.  

I recently purchased new chairs for our living room to replace these chairs.  The nice thing about a recurring color theme is most things can be moved all over the house.  And that little 13" television looks so tiny...our nice flat screen is now out in the garage workout area.  I guess that it's more important to have a nice TV while on the treadmill than while snuggling in bed ;)

I have finished trimming out and painting all of the doors in our house black and I LOVE them.  One of the best things I ever chose to do in our house. 

I have a thing for "life reminder quotes". 

Years ago I purchased these beach pictures from Target and hung them in my kitchen.  My love of "Ocean Fog" definitely comes from my absolute love of the beach, especially Lake Superior beaches.  Now these photos have a spot in our bedroom.  I think they will always take up wall space in my home.

The plates are all from St. Vinnies and the mirror is from my grandmother's house.  The table was a second hand find that I painted multiple times. 

 

I need to practice taking photos...photography is definitely not my thing.  But you get the "picture" ;)



Perfection is NOT an Option in an Old House

One thing I have learned about living in an old house is that perfection is not an option.  Every project has issues.  And sometimes I just don't have the budget or energy to rip the walls to the studs and put up fresh drywall.  In comes wallpaper.  I know that many are afraid of wallpaper and it is intimidating.  It is a lot of work, but I really actually enjoy putting it up.  Am I professional - NO.   But, again, in an old house you have to accept that it will not be perfect.  It will hide imperfect old plaster walls, but the corners and seams may not be perfect. I know that once the wallpaper is up and the room is back to "living" I do not notice the imperfections unless I seek them out.

I only have two rooms that have wallpaper and one is the upstairs hallway.  I originally wallpapered it about 10 years ago and decided I needed a more subtle, relaxing pattern and my husband decided it was ok to tell me one day not long ago that our house looked like a hoarder's house because the wallpaper was falling down!

This old house of mine has taught me that I can be happy with imperfection. 

BEFORE:

 

DURING:

 

 

 

AFTER:

 
 
 

 

 

Someday is Today

Do you ever look around and wonder how you got to where you are? And feel happy about it? I don't mind aging. I love my career and the feeling of security our life gives us. Yes, it's hard to face that I now have wrinkles, and my children are no longer babies, but the most difficult thing to face is that  time is moving so fast that the years go by it what feels like months.  I want to do the things I enjoy and live every moment.  It also makes me realize that I have to move forward with doing what I love.  And because my children are no longer babies I can do that.  I know that there will be times I will have to make a choice between my family and my business and I know that they will be ok with that.  They understand my passion and see the excitement in my eyes when I start talking about rooms and colors and houses.  My heart says to let go of my insecurities.  It's time to dip my toe in and see if I can share my love with others. 

I have completed so many projects recently.  Even though I haven't been blogging, it doesn't mean I haven't been redecorating!

And I am ready to offer my redecorating, reorganizing, and refurbishing services.

I couldn't have a blog post without a project to showcase.  One of my favorite no cost (because I already had the spray paint on hand) projects was the lampshade for my mercury glass-esque lamps.  The large drum shades were on two lamps I had in the basement.  They were starting to yellow on the inside.  I really liked the shape and shades that large are very expensive.  I decided it was worth a shot to spray paint them black -- inside and out. And I LOVE them.  They are a statement in my dining room and I love the glow they cast when they are turned on. 

 

 

 

And there are so many more projects to come....