Cottage Magpie

True Confessions... An Update

2012-03-31T08:41:08Z

I don't know how many of you remember this, but a while back I did a post entitled "True Confessions of a House Gone Bad" where I got out of bed, walked around my house, and just took a picture of each room without cleaning, styling, or otherwise trying to make it pretty. My goal was to capture the truth. Unvarnished. It was embarrassing, but it was also liberating. Suddenly I was able to talk to all of you about the real situation my home was in and get help and advice on what to do about it. Best. Decision. Ever. (And THANK you.) Well, it's been over a year, and I thought it'd be nice to take a look and see where we're at. What's better, what's worse, what's unchanged... So again, I didn't clean, I didn't style, and I didn't compose my shots. I just went from room to room and clicked. Here's what I saw:

Living Room:

This is one of the first rooms I worked on, with your help and advice. I completely emptied the room and worked on furniture arrangements, then I did a digital makeover to play with ideas. Of course, then real life intervened and the couch got ruined, I got a new loveseat, then an antique cabinet for Christmas. Finally, my friend Krista helped me come up with a new floor plan that included the piano, and now the room looks like this: I still have tons to do in here -- paint, trim, plaster, slipcovers... but at least it's not embarrassing. Verdict: Much better!

Dining Actually Just Part of Family Room

Having the dining room here was kind of an experiment that didn't really work. We now just have the one dining room by the kitchen that we had momentarily been calling the breakfast nook. So this is really a picture of one part of our family room. Verdict: Meh. I'm glad it's not a dining room, but it's really not very nice, either.

Family Room:

This probably looks pretty familiar since I just posted some pictures of the family room the other day, when I was trying to notice the positive things instead of dwelling on the negative. Before I moved the piano, I had slightly different furniture in here. But I'm pretty happy with the arrangement in here now. Again, the next steps are lots of painting, sewing and decorating -- I want a cheery palette in here (what Mr. Magpie calls "Easter Colors"). But again, it's cozy and makes me happy for now. Verdict: Much better!

Kitchen:

Not a lot of changes showing here. BUT, since these pictures were taken, there's been changes, and oh boy am I excited to share them with you! Hee hee hee! :-) Verdict: Oh, It's Changed... You'll See! :-)

(The Actual) Dining Room:

It's hard to tell here, but there has actually been quite a bit of change in the dining room. We cut our dining room table down so it would fit in here and brought back our oak chairs. I also was trying to paint the whole cabinet before Thanksgiving last year, but as you can see, I ran out of time. BUT, I did get the fireplace wall plastered and my salvaged door painted, and so the other side of the dining room looks like this: Still tons of things to do, BUT, it's way better than before. It's so much brighter! Verdict: Better.

Laundry Room:

Mostly we just added shelves in here. I have a plan, but it's not at the top of the list right now. Verdict: Marginally Better.

Craft Room / Office:

This room actually got way, way worse before it got to the state it's in now. BUT, in the process I reorganized the storage in here and though it's hard to tell, the room is functionally much better. Plus I have a comfy place to sit when I'm doing handwork, or for family to lounge. I'm still working on this room, and I posted a whole ton of inspiration posts showing craft rooms, furniture, storage and pin boards. For now, I'm trying to just work on this one little spot: Progress is being made, just very sloooooowly. Verdict: Organizationally Better.

Office Bathroom:

Not much to say. It hasn't changed. Except that it's messier (luck of the draw there). Verdict: No Change.

Master Bedroom:

Only small changes in here. I rearranged the furniture slightly, and briefly considered making this my top project (I didn't). A few weeks ago we started building the mini-library outside the room and I loooooove that. I've also been steadily adding more pink into the room, and you all know that makes me happy. As with all the rooms, there's a ton I want to do. Banishing all that wood trim is very high on the list. But the room isn't on the top of the list at the moment. We've got bigger fish to fry, as they say. :-) Verdict: Mostly No Change.

Master Bathroom:

Well, it's cleaner, anyway! :-) Verdict: Mostly No Change.

Rocket Boy's Room:

Now, this room is pretty much always a huge mess, so it makes it really hard to tell what's going on in here. Plus we're still lacking a couple of storage items so again, hard to tell. BUT, we actually completely cleaned out and reorganized and rearranged this room and it's MUCH better in terms of how we're using the space. We're planning to actually finish this room this summer so we can finally give my poor soon a really great room that WORKS for all his stuff. Verdict: Better (But Hidden In the Mess!)

Baby Girl's Room:

Again, hard to see with the mess, but there's been LOTS of changes in this room! I moved her chandelier in here from Rocket Boy's room, then started fiddling with her artwork, which made me decided to go ahead and erolly DO the room, starting with all new trim (moulding) and wainscoting. We've also been (again, sloooowly) collecting things for her room, too, like her headboard, bedding, and furniture. Of course, along the way there have been inspiration posts and posts about how I've tried to work with my toddler on the design of her room. This is one of the rooms we're actively working on because it doubles as a guest room, and we're expecting guests this spring! Verdict: On It's Way to Way Better.

Guest Bathroom:

And yeah, remember how I said we're having guests soon? So yeah, we might need to step up our activity in this loooooooooooooong guest room project! (Seriously, anyone remember when we first did the demo? Yes, that was nearly four years ago!!!!) Verdict: Mostly No Change, But Stay Tuned. WHEW! That's a LONG post there, Nellie! But it was therapeutic for me, and I hope (HOPE) interesting for you. You can see why I said the other day that we are trying to make this dream come true "one Saturday at a time" because we have to do things in very small chunks. But the best part for me was to see how far we've come, just in the last year (plus). I am always thinking we're not getting anywhere, but we did! Sure, it's not a lot, but it's quite a bit considering how little time we have to work on it. It's nice to see that we ARE making changes and we ARE getting somewhere. I might take the time and go back to seeing how far since come since we bought the place, too. I think that might help me really start to see that things ARE different than they were before. Thanks for hanging in there with me, messes and all! Updated: Of course, the BIG thing you might notice in here is that we have A LOT of STUFF (you are so right, gentle readers!) It's a source of constant frustration and we do have a major purging operation happening now, too, which is hard to show on the blog, but definitely rolling forward. We'll never be minimalists, but we have a LOT of room to improve. As I said on my Facebook page just a few days ago, "Holy Toledo, we have a lot of stuff, Batman!" Best,

They Bloomed!!

2012-03-29T04:47:03Z

You know those cherry branches I had in a pitcher in my family room? That I thought might bloom but wasn't sure? They did! They bloomed! Only three little blossoms, but that's all I needed to see. Happy me! Of course I couldn't help myself, I had to put my favorite quote onto one of the pictures and save it for my inspiration wall. I'm not very good at this sort of thing, so if anyone else wants to take a whack at it, send it to me and I'll update this page with more options. Here's the quote again:

May I a small house
and a large garden have;
And a few friends,
and many books.
both true, both wise,
and both delightful too.
~Abraham Cowley

I also changed the description thingy in my header. It used to say, "Creating cottage style, one thrift store at a time." Which is kind of true/funny/painful because I used to really think that's what I was doing! But there's three main ways that just didn't fit any more: 1. Who am I to say what a "style" is, cottage or otherwise? I have no idea. I just want my home to be comfortable and cozy and be a haven for my family in these hectic times. 2. I still thrift when I do buy something, but I almost never buy anything anymore. We live very, very frugally and so my new way is to try and figure out a way to make it work with what I already have here. 3. My home isn't going to be created by a lot of buying stuff anyway. Mostly the big changes happen because we put our back into it. Since our weeks are busy with work and homeschooling and everything else, we mostly do our projects on the weekends nowadays. So. Now it says:

"Reaching for cottage dreams, one Saturday at a time."

Definitely more accurate for what I'm doing here. I'm dreaming, I'm reaching, and I'm getting the work done mostly on Saturdays! :-) More tomorrow! I'm going to do an update on how my house compares to the no-holds-barred true confession from a little over a year ago. Best,

It's the Little Things

2012-03-23T17:15:29Z

I am generally a positive person. I would go so far as to even say perky. I can't help it, I am just excited about things! :-) I have always been this way. I just get excited. But I have my moments, too, when I am blue. When it just seems like the long haul is so very long and everything is always at a standstill. When I have days like that, it's easy to start looking around at the house and noticing every little thing that's unfinished, or waiting, or just plain broken, and get discouraged. This week, when I was feeling this way, the sun came out, and I was able to notice the little things. These are pictures of my family room, such as it is. The walls have holes in them that need to be patched. The windows need trim. There's paint samples on the walls, no floor at all and toys everywhere. And it's going to be that way for a long time! But. There's also a comfy couch, squashy pillows, a stack of quilting books on a charming hutch, and right now, a vintage-style pitcher full of cherry branches that are thinking, just thinking, about blooming. And those toys? Those toys mean that children live here, children that I waited a very, very long time to have. So I'm not bothered about the patchy walls, the ugly curtains, or the giant stuffed gorilla. I have a family. I have a garden. I have books. I have friends. I am thankful. I am blessed. And everything is going to be okay.

May I a small house
and a large garden have;
And a few friends,
and many books.
both true, both wise,
and both delightful too.
~Abraham Cowley

My dear friends, wherever you are, I hope that you have a moment this week where the sun comes out and you can see all the little things. xoxo,

Mini Library Nook (What I Did This Weekend)

2012-02-20T16:16:10Z

I don't know if you remember, but my living room used to have three bookcases in it. Actually, now that I'm looking back, I'm not sure I ever posted any pictures that showed the room with the bookcases. Which is really funny because I have taken a lot of pictures with the bookcases. Heck, I've taken a lot of pictures of everything. This is my dirty little secret, by the way. I have taken photos for about 10x more blog posts than are on the site. But that's not the story for today. The story for today is about bookcases. Once upon a time, my living room had three bookcases, like what I showed in that digital living room makeover I did, way back when. When I rearranged and put the furniture in its new configuration a couple of weeks ago, what I didn't tell you was that one of the three bookcases had been orphaned. All this time it has been sitting in the entry to my dining room. Right here: It actually made the dining room quite cozy, but it was also REALLY crowded getting through there, so it had to go. But where? Enter the nook outside my master bedroom. So my bedroom is at the end of a hallway, and the doorway is set back a little bit, so there's this nook next to the door. I have always envisioned having a bookcase there, you know? Cute, right? So when I suddenly had an orphaned bookcase on my hands, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. Of course, we coudn't do it right then, because the bookcase was too big for the spot, so we stashed it in the entry area and ignored it. Well. Okay, REALLY we used it as a convenient place to stick ~~random crap~~ miscellaneous things from all over the house that we ~~couldn't be bothered to put away~~, didn't have a home for. When it was full, we decided we'd better do something about it before it became permanent! It was wider than the little nook, so Mr. Magpie rebuilt it to fit: And in it went! Eventually all the trim in this little area will be redone and the bookcase will get painted out white. Eventually I'll also put more bookcases to the right of the door as well, so there'll be a whole mini library down here. Key word being "eventually." In the meantime, my room feels so cozy because the entrance is tucked in, and I love having another spot to keep all of our favorite books. I collect children's literature, so this will be a spot to keep it. Here's another before-and-after view that hopefully will give you a better idea of what it looks like. (Let's pretend we don't see the scuzzy carpet, mmmmm'kay?) I just love how it feels now to walk into my room. I can't wait to paint it and stuff it with books! Ha!

As for the entry area, now it feels a little bare. The shelf was too big, but it needs something. I'm thinking maybe a really big vertical sign or some subway art or something. Here's what kitty thinks: "Oh, brother!" So that's what I did this weekend. What did you do??? P.S. Thank you SO MUCH for all your feedback about what you like to read in a blog. I didn't think I had a preference, but as I was reading I realized that I do! I like live action blogs. I love eye candy as much as the next person, but I'd rather see something real than all pretty all the time. So that's what we'll be doing here from now on. Beware! It's not all pretty! But it'll definitely be real. So, so very real. Ha. :-) P.P.S. Linking up to the Weekend Wrap-Up Party at Tater Tots and Jello.

Before Vs. After: Who Do You Love?

2012-02-15T17:43:36Z

So I've been wondering. What do you guys like to see? Are you all about the "live" action, seeing the ugly as it happens? Or do you like "all pretty all the time?" There's many ways to write a blog, but what do you like to read? I think about this frequently as I'm working on things that aren't particularly photogenic while I'm doing them. Like right now I'm working on that slipcover, and the fabric hutch, along with the bathroom and Baby Girl's room (because we have company coming in a few months), and so there's lots happening, just not lots that's pretty. So I thought about all the ways that I've seen blogs handle this, and I noticed a few common themes. I'm sure there's a million other ways to do it, it's not like this is an exhaustive list, but these seem to be the most common ways that I noticed. 1. The "Live Action" Blog . Everything that's happening gets shown, as it happens, whether it's pretty or not. Tutorials might come as you go, or might come at the end, depending on how fast the "live action" is going. Pro: You get to see things progress "real time." Con: You have to see a lot of ugly posts before you get to the "good stuff" (i.e. the reveal). 2. The "Before/After" Blog. There's usually one post showing a "before," then a lull, then one post showing the "after." If there's tutorials, they come after the big "reveal." Pro: Not a lot of ugly messy posts. Con: Lots of waiting for afters, and not a lot of visibility into the "real" process. 3. The "Keep the Conversation Going" Blog. This is a varation on the Before/After Blog, except that the spaces in between "before" and "after" are filled with other things. Pinterest posts, Features of other bloggers, discussions of style, decorating tips and tricks, linky parties, etc. Pros: Lots to read, see and discuss. Con: Still a lot of waiting to see the blogger's actual projects, and still not a lot of visibility into the real process. 4. The "All Eye Candy All The Time" Blog. This blog doesn't really have "befores" -- only afters. There's big afters once in awhile (rooms), but the rest of the time there are mini-afters (a basket, a box), pictures of thrift store finds, vignettes, "corners of my home", "little moments" that kind of thing. Pro: Pretty, pretty, all the time pretty. Who doesn't love eye candy? Con: Since the focus is on the pretty, there's not a big focus on tutorials, befores or any of the in-process stuff. So. What do you prefer? Do you have a strong preference? Does one of these types of blog really excite or interest you? In addition, I do really want to know what you want to read HERE at Cottage Magpie? Because I'd like to deliver what you are most interested in reading. I can't wait to hear your thoughts. P.S. Don't forget to follow with the new "Linky Follower" widget in the right side bar or on the subscribe page! :-)

Will You Be My Valentine?

2012-02-14T15:38:44Z

Do you have big plans for today? I have to be honest, we don't have elaborate plans, but I'm sure there will be lots of hugs and kisses for everyone in my family. Oh yes, and of course the Valentine exchange for the kiddos. Such fun! Did you know how the tradition of sending Valentine's got started? I'm no expert, but what I've heard is that way back when, there was a king who didn't think knights should be married. But the knights wanted to be married, and there was one priest who went ahead and married them anyway. His name was Valentine. When he was taken prisoner and kept in the castle for breaking the King's law, he wrote letters to all of his friends and relatives and signed them all "Your Valentine." Speaking of Valentine's, would you be MY Valentine? Now that Google is dumping their Friend Connect tool, we're all having to look for a new solution, and many people are signing up with Linky Follower, so I did too! You can find it on my right sidebar there (scroll down). I'd love for you to follow me, and if you do and have a blog, please leave a comment and I'll follow you back! Happy Valentine's Day!

Office & Craft Room: Inspiration and Pin Boards

2012-02-14T02:10:56Z

I hope you've been enjoying this little series of posts with inspiration photos for my studio. I have. But then, I could spend all day looking at pretty photos of pretty room! (Some would argue that I do... thank you, Pinterest!) As I finish up the slipcover and the fabric hutch (this week!) I am starting to look at the office wall of my room. I have two closets there with a looooong desk, and I've always had some type of inspiration board or another on the wall. I really do love having a place to pin things up. Even though I put most of the things I find on Pinterest these days, there's nothing like having the real thing there to inspire you. So this is a collection of pin board ideas I've collected on Pinterest. I know, funny, right? Originally I just had a cork board. I think this is one step better, painting the cork board the same color as the wall:

Source: bunnyhillblog.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

You could also cover the cork board with linen, like this:

Source: flickr.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Or easier, just hang the linen straight on the wall:

Source: decor8blog.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

But I mean, heck, if I'm going to be creative, might as well go all the way. I could try the crib spring idea:

Source: vintagemellie.blogspot.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Or a vintage window:

Source: flickr.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Then there's the farm-chic idea of using chicken wire. I love this idea:

Source: flickr.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

This is not the first time I've been attracted to the idea of chicken wire on the wall. I also have an inspiration photo that I used for inspiration for Baby Girl's room. It was the pillows I was focused on, but I do love the chicken wire:

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

So. Many. Ideas! Upon reflection, I think that a vintage window or crib spring idea might be cool for the room, that for the long wall behind my desk, I really need something I can cut to fit like cork, fabric or chicken wire. I LOVE the chicken wire, but I'm worried about functionality. I mostly pin up print outs of photos from the internet, and I just notice that right now when I thumbtack things up, they stay flat so I can see them, but when I clothespin things up (I have a piece of string I can clothespin things to) they curl up so I can't see them. So, with the chicken wire, I'm concerned that instead of a nice collection of pretty inspiration, I'll have a curly mess that I can't see anything of. I suppose I could counter that by clipping each corner instead of the middle. Assuming I can get space for that. Ha. It would sure look cool, though, wouldn't it? Fabric covered cork is probably more sensible, though. What do you guys think? Do you have pin boards IRL? What are they made of? Would you do something funky even if it wasn't quite as functional? Do tell!

Office/Craft Room: Pretty Storage Ideas

2012-02-12T16:22:59Z

I am still working on my studio makeover, so I am still obsessed with Pinterest! (Aren't we all?). Specifically, at the moment, finding craft room inspiration ideas. So here's some more ideas on storing all of my endless hoarders style junk, supplies! You know how when we talked about furniture ideas for my studio we were talking about painting the fabric hutch? (I had been calling it an armoire, but it's really a hutch, isn't it? Ooops.) I am still deciding on colors. My first idea was to paint it cream, because that way I will love it for a long time and not be wanting to repaint it in a few months. I can totally see that working, like in some of the pictures in my original inspiration post. I can also see it painted a pretty muted color like the green hutch here:

Source: flickr.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Or, I mean, why not just go for the pink, like this?

Source: ikeafamilylive.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Either way, the rest of the room has a ton of storage, too, and I would like to have at least some of it look pretty, like some of these ideas:

Source: flickr.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Source: tempusfugit.over-blog.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Source: shabbychicinspired.blogspot.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Source: elfenpulver.blogspot.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

And, just like in my original studio inspiration post, not everything is pale pink. I know this isn't crafty or studio-ish, but all this colorful vintage pottery just inspires me:

Source: vintageandflea.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

What about you? Is your storage pretty or do you go for functional?

Office/Craft Room: Furniture Ideas

2012-02-01T05:52:36Z

Those of you who follow me on Facebook have already heard about my impulsive decision to go ahead and make a slipcover. I know I said the other day when I was sharing some inspiration photos for my studio that I wasn't going to bother slip covering the couch in my studio, but my friend Krista came over and told me I should just go for it, so I did! Like, right then, on the spot. I'm such a wuss, I would have never done it if she hadn't encouraged me. (And then she stood there and watched me work on the slipcover, too, can you believe it? Thank you!!!) I've never made a slipcover before, and I have no idea what I am doing, but I'm doing it anyway. Wheeee!! As soon as I finish, I'll tell you all about it. Meanwhile, I thought I'd show you some more of my inspiration photos from my Craft Idea Pinterest Board I'm keeping on my Pinterest account. I do love me some Pinterest! (If you need an invite, let me know, and I'll send you one!) But first, in case you don't remember what the studio looks like, here's a picture of the one side of the room with the little couch: So, then, inspiration! I know this pin isn't a couch, but this is the *feel* I want to have with pillows and stuff on the couch. You know what I mean?

Source: maisondecor8.blogspot.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

And this amazing fabric cabinet made me think that I should paint *my* fabric cabinet pink. What do you think? Either that or the center table pink and paint the armoire cream. Ideas?

Source: quainthandmade.blogspot.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

On the other side of the room, I have my ironing-table-slash-shelving-unit and my desk and filing cabinet (inside the closet). ACK, that's uninspiring! Bring on the PInterest! I love this creative idea to decorate a filing cabinet! I totally want to do this!

Source: sunflowerlins.blogspot.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

And of course, I would love to fix up my office char and have some cute pillows like this:

Source: thefancyfarmgirl.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Finally, and I totally saved the best for last, I really want to have my ironing-board-slash-storage-unit have this kind of feel:

Source: thefancyfarmgirl.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

I just never get tired of old locker baskets, do you? Love them. So -- that's some of the inspiration that's keeping me going! I'll keep sharing inspiration until I have some things done that I can share! Back to that slipcover!

Office/Craft Room: Inspiration, Please!

2012-01-27T05:50:38Z

When I showed you my nice clean studio yesterday, I didn't really say what I had in mind for making it inspiring. In case there is any confusion, let me be clear. I mean PINK. I mean FRILLS. I mean LACE. I mean PRETTY. Can I just tell you how much that makes me feel like I've just taken a big, huge breath of air? Normally I keep it balanced out of respect for the other people who live in my house with me. Namely Mr. Magpie and Rocket Boy, who is in grade school. Neither of them are particularly excited about any of these things. (The boy has recently told me he dislikes all things distressed and chippy, or as he called it, "dirty and old looking." GASP.) I don't mind, though. I like making a home that reflects everyone who lives in it! But... BUT... can I just say that when I realized (yes, I'm slow), that my studio is MINE and that I can make it as GIRLY AS I WANT TO, I about hyperventilated with excitement? Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy. Finally I can start using all these pretty things I've been collecting all this time! Like the pile of pillows and linens, or the adorable Hopeless Romantic sign I won in a giveaway from The OC Cottage (above). Just in case that hasn't painted a picture, I have inspiration photos to help. They're all from my Pinterest boards. (What did we all do before Pinterest? Seriously.)

Source: songbirdblog.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Source: thefancyfarmgirl.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Not all of my inspiration picture are pale pink, I do admit. I love these studios, too:

Source: jeanneoliverdesigns.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Source: countryliving.com via Angela @ Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Are you excited? I am so very excited. It's a little embarrassing. But not embarrassing enough to stop talking about it! Ha. I think the easiest spot to start with is going to be this sitting area: I'm not going to take the time to make a slipcover right now -- I can do that later. I'm just going to throw things at it until it looks better. So it won't be perfect. But hopefully it'll be great. Hee hee!

Linking up to the Weekend Wrap Party at Tatertots & Jello! :-)

Office/Craft Room: It All Starts Here

2012-01-26T05:12:23Z

Okay. So you all have hung in there with me, through thick and thin. You have seen my train wreck, and you have seen me say I was going to work on Baby Girl's room, the living room, the family room, my master bedroom and the dining room. (Okay, that one I did actually work on a little bit.) Progress is being made, but not very much, you know? Well. I think I finally figured out WHY!!! It's my studio. You know, the room where I actually DO many of the projects that I want to do in order to finish these rooms. This is where I sew, where I paint small projects, where I build things. Sure, some of the heavy lifting happens in the garage, but this is the center of most of it. And it hasn't been a pleasant place to work. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, it looked like this: (Shudder....) It took two weeks, but I cleaned it up. I mean, really cleaned it. It's not perfect, and I still have a few last things. But it's, basically, clean!! Not very sexy, I know, but this is where it begins, right? So here's how it looks now: Here's the cool part. Now that it's clean, I am motivated!!! I really feel like tackling the world! And I feel like starting here, in my studio. Yes, it's clean. Clean is good. At least I can work. But I want to be INSPIRED. I want to come in here and just be surrounded by gorgeousness and everything that makes my heart sing. You know? I know you know. So I'm going to gussy up my studio. And I know that I mean it this time, because, truly, this is the root of everything. What a relief to be clear!!

Some Furniture for Baby Girl

2012-01-13T18:02:16Z

As I mentioned when I showed you my living room, I have this deal where I really have to get the furniture placement right before I do any real decorating. What seems so cool in my head often doesn't work in the real space, you know? So I don't want to spend time fixing a piece of furniture up if I'm not pretty sure it's going to work. The good news is that I'm finally figuring out how to figure it out, if you know what I mean. I get a basic idea, then drag a bunch of stuff into the room, try 1,001 different options, pick one that's kind of okay, sleep on it for ~~a really long time~~ awhile, move everything around again, rinse and repeat. It's definitely not the most efficient method, but it seems to be the only one that works for me. That's what I did with Baby Girl's room, and I think I like it! Baby Girl seems to like it, too, since as you can see she's moved a bunch of her stuff in there. I would have moved it again to take the pictures... oh wait, I DID. Hee hee. She's just too fast for me. At least she feels at home! :-) Here's what I have so far. This is the bed side of the room. We decided to try out her overdyed bedding while we were at it, and I do just love it. She still needs a real bed, but that's okay. The headboard I scored for $10 thanks to a friend from a local Mom's group turned out to be a Queen size instead of a double (wah), but I've decided to just go ahead and use it for now anyway. Why not, right? I love having the bed in the closet, by the way. I decided to try the kids' beds in the closets after seeing this awesome room:

Source: myfavoriteeverything.com via Cottage Magpie on Pinterest

Isn't that fantastic? It opens up the room SO MUCH. I'm going to do the shelf and valance, too. Just love that. (And, oh yes, I am on Pinterest, baby. Love.) I know what you're thinking -- storage, right? Well, that's where this armoire comes in: You may recognize it from the "final" furniture arrangement I had for the family room. It got moved in here when the piano got moved to the living room. The phrase musical chairs comes to mind, but let's not mention it to Mr. Magpie, mmmmmkay? The slipper chair is just a placeholder. I want to get something cushy for a good reading chair. We're still discussing paint color. I'll share more on that tomorrow. Meanwhile, Baby Girl has insisted that the stuffed Scotty dog be on her bed. Who can argue with that?

The Living Room, She Is Clean

2012-01-09T06:34:21Z

My living room is clean! Yay! And you know what? I don't hate it. Ha! I've been through so many iterations with this room. It's a little bit nutbar. I've actually moved those bookcases in and out of that room half a dozen times, I swear. The good news is that right before the holidays, my friend Krista helped me figure out my furniture arrangement. (We sketched the floor plan on a Magna Doodle. Can you tell we have toddlers?) I had been thinking about moving the piano back into the front room, and it was her idea for me to put the bookcases on the sides with the piano in the middle. I love it, really love it! This is major breakthrough for me. I even changed something in the room a few days later, and I had to put it back because I like the furniture arrangement the way it is. Can you believe it? FINALLY. I have more to say about what's coming next, but for now, let's luxuriate in the cleanliness, shall we? When you come in the front door, this is basically what you see: You know how I'm always telling you that I can't put the furniture in front of the fireplace? This is what I'm talking about: Looking back at the room from the fireplace: And back towards the door from the wing chair. Now that I am really set on the floor plan, I'm finally ready to start dealing with color. Furniture and fabric, mostly. I would love to do a 5' board-and-batten wainscoting in here, with something exciting above, but for now I think I better focus on the furniture since I have a loooong list of projects to finish before I can start any new construction. Ha. So. Plaster on the fireplace, paint on the furniture and fabric slipcovers are my basic plan. I am going to have to choose to paint either the dark pieces or the bookcases, because I can't stand having the two different colors of wood together in the same room! It's just one of my hangups. And since I don't think I could bring myself to paint that amazing patina on the chippy dresser, and my husband might freak out if I paint the piano, it's going to have to be the bookcases that get the brush. Which I am okay with, although funnily enough, I actually like pine better than dark wood (you can all shudder now). What can I say? I'm a country girl at heart. Ha. Now, the big question is... what to do first???

Oh Look at that Kitty.... on the Piano???

2012-01-04T08:06:29Z

Yesterday I started taking down the Christmas decorations. (It takes a while in our house, since I have to sneak the ornaments into boxes with the toddler is in another room.) Partway through I took a break to eat dinner, and when I came back, I saw the lovely scene above. Notice anything strange? How about now? Oh, she looks soooooo pleased with herself! But she did make me realize something. I do want to get this room finally all the way done, rather than just got the furniture in place done. It's the first room you see when you come into my house, and it's also the room that stays the cleanest because it doesn't get abused used as much each day. So it's a perfect choice to have a pretty room that is always ready for a picture. Which I need. Because, people, I may be ambitious, but I can't deep clean a room before I take a photo around here. Enter the "Picture Perfect" challenge that Donna from Funky Junk Interiors is throwing. What perfect timing! At any rate, I want to get this room to that picture perfect state. I probably won't get it all done this month because I am also working on other rooms, too (I like to jump around), but I'll make a dent in it and that's what counts. (So I tell myself, anyway.) So -- I have a plan. So far my plan has two steps: Step 1: Evict cat from piano. Step 2: Finish taking down decorations. Once I get that far, I'll take some more whole room shots so you can see what I'm up to! Woo hoo!

Happy Holidays 2011

2011-12-29T07:24:14Z

The holiday season has been such a whirlwind this year for our family! Handmade gifts, visits with friends, secret Christmas "Elves" and more. We've been having a lovely time and I hope that you have, too!! I hope it goes without saying that once again I am thankful most of all to all of you for continuing to read my little blog all these years! Sometimes life takes over and I can't post for awhile, and yet, when I have time to post, everyone is right back there again, cheering me on. I can't tell you how much it means to me. Especially since I have a serious lack of follow through. Ha! Speaking of, (and not to take away from the holiday message here), but you can probably tell from the picture that I've rearranged the living room again. I think I finally like it. I moved something from the room the day after this photo was taken, and you know what? I didn't like it so I put it back. So I think I've finally hit the arrangement of furniture that's going to stick. Now to paint everything in sight! Ha! In other news, I'm finally making the jump to WordPress for the New Year. I am going to try to have that done in the next couple of weeks. So, while all of that shuffling is going on, you may see some bloggy weirdness or, for those of you who read in a feed reader, some deluges of old posts. Please bear with me and just disregard the repeats! Normal posting will resume as soon as I can!!! Many blessings to all of you. I have a really good feeling about the year to come. I hope you do, too. May all of your dreams come true!! Happy Holidays!