HOUSEography

So then I bought a rug

2013-05-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Phew! What a weekend. Elizabeth and I had an all day Girl Scout event on Saturday, and then we had Alex's birthday party here today - YEAH, no rain despite a horrid forecast.

So, after buying the new curtains for the dining room, I quickly found a rug on Joss & Main that I loved both on the screen and in my house. Unfortunately when Handy Hubby and I went to move the table, it was pretty clear the table needed some work.

A day later we were ready to put down the rug.

Love the rug, just not in here. I really want a more neutral/tan rug in here to balance the curtains. Still looking. BUT... the rug did happen to work really well in here...

Yup, the living room ended up getting an unintentional total makeover. It literally changed the room completely!

Here's what it looked like before.

I LOVe this change. The rug is smaller but the room feels cozier and the pattern is gorgeous. I was able to sell the old rug for a great price that more than covered the cost of the new rug.

What do you think? I love the blue/cream trend I have going in here.

Dining Room: Spring Window Refreshing

2013-05-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

What is it about spring that makes you want to change things up? Something fresh and new for your house or wardrobe always seems like just the thing to forget about winter. Of course, the weather is not really acting like a normal spring, and my wardrobe is in shambles. Soon enough the long 90 degree DC summer days will be here and this wacky winter-spring will be just a memory. But I digress...

In this case, I bought some new curtains for the dining room. There was nothing wrong with the old ones other than that I was tired of them. Woops.

I was coveting some Anthro curtains but couldn't justify the price. Then I found these.

Here's a picture before...

And now...

I looked high and low for some decently priced curtains in a fun print. The old ones just seemed a little stale and fuddy-duddy to me. Their shininess also irked me. As with the living room, it was too formal and just not us me.

The curtains look really good with the rug. Maybe too nice together. It almost matches too closely so I may or may not be looking for a new rug. Maybe.

Doorways Safehouse: The Finale {Before & After}

2013-04-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is the final post about the Doorways Safehouse project! The interior aspects of the process have been finished for a while but the exterior work will continue for a bit longer. To see all of the posts about this project, click here.

I wanted to again thank everyone involved in this project, both up front and behind the scenes.

Yuri Sagatov of Sagatov Design/Build was wonderful to work with. If you are looking for design build work in the Arlington/Falls Church/NOVA area, call them please. They are amazing.

The designers -

Heather Cichelli from Casa Mila Design

Anna Kucera from Gracious Living Design

Linda Kosovych from LSK Fine Arts and Design

Nicole Lanteri from On My Agenda

Jessica Centella and Kiera Kushlan Residents Understood

Kate Fallon at Studio K

Also, thank you to Washington Workplace for their work and donations in the large staff office, and Belfort Furniture for their furniture donations.

Also, thank you to the Container Store for their Elfa closet systems for three bedroom closets. Finally, a big thanks to my neighbors, Krista and Meghan, for each taking on a bathroom decorating project, and to everyone else who donated time and money to this effort. It was amazing to see the community come together!

And, the Doorways staff who made this project such a joy to work on. Caroline, Claudia, Susan, Heather and everyone else who was so supportive and receptive to our sometimes crazy ideas! Thanks for hanging in there and believing in what we could do.

Finally, my partner in crime, Michelle Sagatov, of Fall Properties. She is an amazing real estate agent if you are ever in need of one! There were moments when I was swearing at her under my breath for getting me involved in this... but it was so worth it and I am forever grateful to her.

And now for one last dose of before and after... including a few not-seen-before spaces.

Living Room - Nicole Lanteri from On My Agenda

Before...

After...

Bedroom 1 - Anna Kucera from Gracious Living Design

Before...

After...

Bedroom 2 - Kate Fallon at Studio K

Before...

After...

Playroom - Linda Kosovych from LSK Fine Arts and Design

Before...

After...

Dorm Room - Jessica Centella and Kiera Kushlan Residents Understood

Before...

After...

Bedroom 3 - Heather Cichelli from Casa Mila Design

Before...

After...

Basement Office - Melissa MacGregor (me!) of Spendalla Home Styling

Before...

After...

And some other renovated spaces not previously shown...

Upstairs Bathroom (my neighbor Krista picked and purchased the accessories!)

Before...

After...

Laundry Room

Before...

After...

You may recognize the art from the original basement office pictures. Doorways had a lot of nice artwork, many of which we were able to reuse in some of the common spaces, such as in the hallways...

This piece was originally in the living room. It works just find in the hallway and it's nice to be able to reuse things that others have donated to the house over the years.

This project was incredibly fun and so rewarding. Thanks again to everyone!

Doorways Safehouse: Lower Level Office Reveal

2013-04-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

At long last the final room in the Doorways Safehouse project! Well, that's not really true actually. I have a bathroom or two and a few random hall pictures, that we haven't shown but I'll try to do those as well in the final before and after post next week. But, for today - the last actual room. When I invited designers to take on a room in the house, no one claimed the basement office. It's not heard to see why...

The office is in the lower level of the house and is used for client meetings and overflow workspace for the staff and volunteers (they have a larger staff office upstairs). The room felt dark and dingy. The closet doors were really dominating the space like a black hole and linoleum tiles had long outlived their useful life.

The staff cleaned out a lot of paper so they were able to lose a filing cabinet. The art was cute but was too small for the space (it found a new home in the laundry room where it's perfect!). I kept the funky leather/pleather chairs. I think they are sort of fun and they were in good shape.

I was aiming for a cozy, clean feeling room where people would want to work and meet in, as necessary. A larger rug was a critical ask since this room is often used for play therapy. The room also needed some art and some pillows for the chairs which could be moved to the floor if necessary. Everything had to be durable.

I started with some shopping... lots of shopping! I was looking for the most bang for the buck.

At one point this was my dining room.

I returned a lot of that stuff! I chose the paint color based on the rug that I found ($59 at Ross!). It was perfect and ended up being my jumping off point. I chose Sherwin Williams Hinting Blue (75% strength). This is the same color we used in Elizabeth's new room this winter and I loved it. Lightening it slightly ensured that it wouldn't be too overpowering in the space.

Here's what it looked like on a very sunny day with no blinds on the windows. This was the day that I was supposed to complete my space but it was clearly not ready for me. They were still replacing windows in this part of the house, doing electrical and other work. I put off my install for another week.

And then after the installation...

My favorite thing in the room is the table lamp between the chairs. I was so close to keeping that for myself! And those painted closet doors and an additional overhead light make the entire room seem 10 times brighter. Reports are that everyone is willing to work in this space now since it's no longer the dungeon.

And a quick side-by-side before and after...

Sources:

Rug - Ross Dress for Less - $59

Pillows - Ross - $7 each

Art - HomeGoods & Marshalls - $39 and $29

Clock - Ross - $15

Printer cabinet - Target (ClosetMaid) - $32

Table lamp - Ross - $27

Desk lamp - Target - $18

Small end table - Craigslist - $5

Footstool - Ross - $10

Hooks on door - Ross - $4

Miscellaneous accessories - $10

Total: $262!

(not including tax)

What do you think? I think this is proof that paint, a new (inexpensive rug), wall art, and a few accessories can go a long way!

I'll do a final wrap up post of before and after photos next week! If you want to donate to Doorways, please click here.

p.s. Woohoo! Today is my 29th birthday...errrrrr. Well a few anniversaries of my 29th birthday. hehehehe. I seriously love my birthday so feel free to wish me "happy birthday" if you see me today.

Need help styling your home? Email me at melissa.spendalla@gmail.com

Spendalla Home Styling: Jen's Under $500 Powder Room Makeover {Reveal}

2013-04-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! My first client project reveal!

I started working with Jen back in early March to get her family's first floor powder room into shape. There was nothing wrong with the room... except it just was not right for their family. Jen said that even her friends agreed that this room was lacking. They wanted to keep the bath fixtures and the wall color but other than that, they were game for whatever. Here are the pictures from my first visit.

Nothing offensive, just not memorable. Jen said she threw some stuff on the wall that she had when they moved in several years ago. The tiered baskets were functional. Her requests were that she needed toilet paper storage (there's no vanity for storage), and a place for a few magazines. She had a few inspirational pieces, including some Turkish bath bowls and a great sultan's signature that her parents brought back from their travels. She loves the wall color as well (Sherwin Williams Red Bay #6321). Her budget was $500 - definitely reasonable for a powder room.

I gave her three pieces of "homework" - first to paint the lower half of the walls the same color as the trim. It was painted a contrasting creamy yellow color which gave the room a country feel. Jen is not a country girl! Second, they had to take down the old mirror which was clearly a builder special. Last, they had to change out the light fixture. I had sent her several options by email a few weeks ago. She chose and ordered her choice after seeing my mirror selection.

When I arrived last Friday morning to install, she had done her homework. Gold star! Her kids also signed the wall under the old mirror. Cuteness!

About an hour and a half later, I revealed this to Jen.

The rug is one of my favorite aspects of the new space. It adds drama and interest, but also is functional in that it will protect their wood floors. It's an indoor/outdoor rug so it can be hosed down if there are any.... incidents.

I replaced the tiered basket with this cart from Home Goods. In fact, most of the purchases came together at HomeGoods. The mirror, cart, basket, planter (with toilet paper), wall art, and a few other bits and pieces were all purchased on a single day.

I sent Jen several options for a sign for her door. This was my clear favorite and she picked it instantly! I love her (my?) sense of humor.

The befores and afters:

BEFORE AFTER

What do you think?

Source List:

Wall Color - Sherwin Williams Red Bay

Mirror - HomeGoods

Light - Sea Gull Pemberton (here)

Cart - HomeGoods

Art - HomeGoods

Wire Wall Hanging - Ross

Wire basket - HomeGoods

Rug - Overstock

Towels - Target

Soap and Toilet Scrubber (not shown) - HomeGoods

Clay pot - HomeGoods

Tinkletorium Sign - Etsy
Turkish bath bowls and Sultan signature - owned by client

Total cost - just under $500!

You can see all of my various ideas and several sources on my Pinterest board for this bathroom.

The absolute best part was Jen's reaction when she saw the finished room. She had only seen bits and pieces of my idea board and wanted to be surprised. Unfortunately, she would not let me photograph her in the reveal because she was not "camera ready"! hahaha.

Thanks for the opportunity, Jen! If you are interested in my services, please email me.

The Ever Evolving Gallery Wall

2013-04-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite spaces in our house is the little hall between our kitchen and dining room. This used to be a space I would walk into and through many times a day without thinking. Ever since we put in our gallery wall, I love walking through there. Here's how it looked when I first put it up.

Since then, I've added several pieces that I have either received or found in other parts of the house.

I like my gallery walls to be "crowded" - not leaving the items and pictures much room to breathe. I want the wall to stand together. I love the mix of frames on this wall particularly, although there are a few things I'll move as I gather more favorites.

The art now includes some works by Alex (my 3 year old) including the felt piece on the bottom left and the clay ornament hanging under the Eiffel Tower. He is not yet into art all that much (although he is so proud of what he does do), so I have to encourage him any way I can.

My friends ask me how I hang the pictures. I generally say "Just hang them. If I end up with an extra hole or two, I hope it's covered by something before Handy Hubby gets home!"

Any gallery wall lovers or haters out there? Picture hanging tips?

Cherry Blossoms in DC

2013-04-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

It may be hard to believe but one of D.C.'s most popular tourist attraction is only around for a few days per year - and you never know exactly when that will be! The National Cherry Blossom Festival used to always be in April but a few years ago they moved it back to March because the blooms were often long gone by the time the bulk of tourists arrived. Not good for business.

This year, Mother Nature had her way with us again and the blooms are just peaking this week!

HOUSEography

Elizabeth has been learning about the cherry trees in first grade so she has been asking to see them for a few weeks. Although some of the trees have been blooming since March (mostly in sheltered but sunny locations), the majority had not even popped last weekend when they were predicted to be peaking. After a couple of days in the high 70s to mid-80s, the blooms finally made their debut on Monday and Tuesday.

By Tuesday when we arrived at the Tidal Basin, they were in full bloom. So, we walked around with 20,000 of our closest tourist friends and took a ton of pictures. Here they are...

We even got a couple of great family shots thanks to a helpful passerby at the FDR Memorial.

If you are in the area, go this weekend or you might miss them all together! Happy Friday!

p.s. Some before and afters from my new venture starting next week... stay tuned!

Elizabeth Turns 7!

2013-04-11T21:51:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe that my baby turned 7... well, my "girl baby"... last weekend. I LOVE birthdays. I feel like it's the one day that is all your own. We started the day with French Toast, then she opened her gifts. She asked for a three ring binder for her birthday and she had mentioned more than a few times that she wanted a radio control helicopter (blue, to be specific). I cannot imagine another 7 year would be as thrilled by the three ring binder. She's an organizer!

We spent the afternoon seeing The Croods with three of Elizabeth's best friends at a newly remodeled theater near our house. Electronic reclining seats?! Yes, please! We'll never go anywhere else again!

Next we went to a local serve yourself yogurt place with the girls while Handy Hubby and Alex went to a neighbor's birthday party.

Then Handy Hubby and the birthday girl decorated some cupcakes they had made earlier in the day.

After a pizza dinner at home, we had a couple of our best friends over to share our cupcakes (which were yummy!)

Happy Birthday, sweet girl.

Doorways Safehouse: Elfa Closet Systems (Thank you Container Store!)

2013-04-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Soon after starting the Doorways project, I realized that storage in the bedrooms was a big issue even with bringing in more practical furniture pieces. The closets are small and pretty typical 1950-style closets - one bar and shelf with a small door and that's it.

Closet systems were a necessity. I wanted something flexible and durable. Elfa was my top choice - I have it in over 10 closets in my own home!

I immediately approached our local Container Store in the Clarendon neighborhood in Arlington about making the donation. The store manager was immediately receptive to the idea and passed my project information on to their main office in Texas which handles donations. The process was not a quick one but we finally got the go ahead just as the families were moving back in. We made it work and two local Container Store employees, Stuart and Sindy, came out and did the installation for us. It was so much fun to watch them install the closets. We have Elfa in nearly every closet in our house so I'm familiar with the methods but they are FAST!

In about 45 minutes we went from a blank slate to...

Thanks to the Container Store, and Stuart and Sindy for the fabulous Elfa installation (and tips along the way!).

For those wondering, I am still waiting to get a few more pictures of my finished office. The room has been an organizational staging area in the house so I have not been able to get good pictures. I hope to do that in the next couple of weeks.

You are cordially invited...to go shopping!

2013-04-04T21:52:00.001-04:00

Spendalla Home Styling

Shopping Event

Saturday, April 27^th

9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Spring is here! Time to refresh your home and make it the place you’ve always wanted it to be. Spendalla Home Styling is making it easy and affordable!

Join the stylists from Spendalla Home Styling on a shopping trip to help you spruce up your home. We’ll board our luxury minibus and enjoy some drinks and munchies; then we’ll set off to hit some of our stylists’ favorite affordable shopping haunts. Along the way, our stylists will provide each attendee advice on items they could add to a room to get the most bang for the buck! While we shop, our stylists will be on the lookout for items you may need and will provide “tricks of the trade” advice. Bring photos (hard copy or on your phone) of a room in your home you want to focus on; then let Spendalla Home Styling help you make this Spring the best one yet!

Don’t miss out on this opportunity. Space is limited!

Reserve your space by mailing a check made out to “Spendalla” to Jen Atkin, Spendalla Personal Shopping, 5207 32^nd Street North, Arlington, VA 22207. Include your email address on the check so we can send you a confirmation.

$50/person (includes bus transportation; drinks/munchies; and styling advice)

Meet Up: starting at 8:30 a.m. at Panera Bread in Ballston Mall (Level 1 near Macy’s)

4238 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22203

Questions?: Jen Atkin at jen.spendalla@gmail.com or (703) 407-1048

Centralized Charging Station {Kitchen}

2013-03-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Please tell me that I'm not the only one with this going on in their kitchen or some other central place in your house....

Phones, chargers, pens, radios, papers, etc. Drives me crazy.

I started looking at charging stations such as this, but nothing was really working for me. So I sketched up a quick plan and Handy Hubby took on the task...

And now we have this...

It holds our phone chargers, pens and pencils, our Tivoli radio, and even some paper under the hinged top where the radio sits. Everything plugs into a power strip which is inside at the bottom. I chose to paint it the same color as our trim (Sherwin Williams Toque White)

It's about a million times better than where we came from...

Of course Handy Hubby and I are considering how we would improve this for version 2.0. Maybe a place for paper, an iPad, and possibly a variation on the phone holder. We'll keep you posted!

Doorways Safehouse: Basement En Suite {Casa Mila Design}

2013-03-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Heather Latteier of Casa Mila Design volunteered to help redesign the final bedroom in the Doorways safehouse project (more posts about the Doorways safe house project here). Heather is relatively new to Arlington so it was a great way for her to get involved in the community a bit.

Heather has worked all over the country including California, Utah, and Arizona. Here are a few samples of her previous beautiful projects -

Heather redesigned the smallest bedroom in the house and includes a bed with a trundle and an adjoining tiny bathroom.

Heather focused on some fantastic new bedding and art on the walls.

Heather updated the back of the built-ins with some amazing contact paper (yes, contact paper!). And that bedding... cannot get enough! The wall color is Benjamin Moore 2149-50 Mellowed Ivory, color matched to Sherwin Williams paint.

Thanks Heather!

Doorways Safehouse: Dorm Room {Residents Understood}

2013-03-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Doorways project recap continues today with an introduction of Jessica Centella and Kiera Kushlan of Residents Understood. Jessica took the lead as the main contact on our project and she has been a joy to work with! I cannot say enough good things about them.

Here are some samples of their recent work

They quickly volunteered (much to my surprise) to take on the dorm room in the basement of the safe house. This room is an awkward room with low ceilings, and many challenges - the largest of which is that 5 people can live in this space at one time and these people may or may not be related. Five strangers sharing a room under stressful circumstances.... tough. It was going to take a lot of money to make this place into a real home.

They presented us with an amazing design which everyone was very quickly excited about!

They used white and black as their anchor colors and then highlighted the space with bright colors. In fact, each person now has their own color coded armoire and nightstand. Ingenious. Brace yourself for these "after" pictures...

Yes, this is the same space... I know. To save you some flipping, here are some before and afters:

Before

After

And one more...

Before

After

Congratulations Jessica and Kiera! The space is amazing and you should be really proud. Check out more information about the sources on their blog.

Doorways Safehouse: Bunk Bedroom {Studio K}

2013-03-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Doorways safehouse project (catch up on more posts here) has been an amazing experience, and I think all of the designers also got a lot out of it. I first met Kate Fallon of Studio K about three years ago when my home was part of the annual Tuckahoe Home & Garden Tour, and she came to take pictures for the tour book. At that time, she was focused on helping people get window treatments but now she has a full-scale design firm. It would be hard to find a nicer person!

Kate has worked for several of my friends to create beautiful and comfortable spaces.

Kate took on the second bedroom on the main floor. This was probably my least favorite room in the upstairs before Kate got a hold of it.

Those sad unused curtain rod holders and the general lack of meaningful storage compounded with a somewhat unpleasant green. We moved the bunk bed from the other bedroom on this floor to this room. Kate was a trooper and took that extra bed with a smile on her face!

Happily, the room is completely transformed now into an amazing space!

I cannot resist a before and after in this room...

Before

After

Can you believe that? It's hard to believe that is the same space. So calming and beautiful Even with an added bunk bed set, it is so amazing. The striped wall was an genius idea which could be recreated in any number of spaces in your own home. The picture over the left bed really helps keep your eye focused away from the bunk beds. Thanks Kate!!

Doorways Safehouse: Twin Bedroom {Gracious Living by Design}

2013-02-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Doorways safehouse redesign was such a great project to get me through the D.C. winter. It was so wonderful to meet so many designers, many of whom I had heard of for quite some time. Today I am featuring Anna Kucera of Gracious Living by Design. Anna is such a sweetheart and was one of the first designers to respond to my plea for help on this project! When we met, we realized that one of our good friends was once her landlord... small town!

Anna's work is absolutely gorgeous. She designs high-end spaces and really makes them shine as they should! Here are a few samples from her website -

When I gave Anna the tour of the safehouse so she could see her space, we were able to meet the family currently living in the twin bedroom she was working with. At that time, the room had one set of bunkbeds which were subsequently relocated to another slightly larger bedroom. Here is how the room looked back in December -

The room was most clearly in need of usable storage. The small nightstand was not really working as a storage piece. They needed more places to keep things (that was a theme in all of the bedrooms). The closets are very small so they do not offer much help - considering these families have most of their personal and treasured belongings in this one small space.

Anna worked up a great design board (including sources) on Pinterest with a "growth and new beginnings" theme (hence the butterflies), but it was so much better in person...

That dresser folds down to be a desk which will be great for extra toiletries for anyone who doesn't want to use it as a desk. I have to call out the muralist, Brian Cantwell, who did an amazing job in this space. The room is so cheery, calm, and beautiful!

A before and after -

More to come next week!

Doorways Safehouse: The Playroom {LCK FIne Arts and Design}

2013-02-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week and next I am highlighting each of the designers in the Doorways redesign project. Today, we are moving down the hall to the playroom which was redesigned by Linda Kosovych of LCK Fine Arts and Design.

Here are a few samples of Linda's design work -

Her love of color certainly carried through to the playroom at the Doorways safehouse. I think this is the only room that Linda was really interested in designing and perhaps her love of color was the main reason for that! This space serves as both the toy room as well as a computer room and an arts and crafts space for kids living in the safe house.

Here is the space before Linda got her hands on it.

And after Linda worked her magic...

How much fun is that? The chalkboard wall is definitely one of my favorite features. Bean bags were an inspired choice because they can be pulled into the living room for more TV seating. It's a little hard to see but the books are now kept in mesh baskets hanging on the wall.

And a before and after -

Great job, Linda!

A Hobby Becomes a Job {Spendalla}

2013-02-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Exciting news! As of last week I became an independent home stylist for Spendalla!

I met the owner, Wendy Pilch, back in January when I had my home closet consultation. We hit it off. She liked my house and asked if I was a designer. I admitted I was a wanna-be but am practicing law instead. As she was leaving my house, she asked if I might be interested in doing some home styling for her clients. Clearly her clients love her and want her to help style all aspects of her lives!! She doesn't have the inclination to do home interiors so she was looking for someone to help out a bit.

I thought about it for 2 weeks and talked to her about it a bit more. Handy Hubby was very excited for me to do it (how awesome is he?). In the back of my mind, this is something that I had been hoping to do for a long time. The blog was an outlet for my creativity but maybe not quite enough. And I love helping my friends improve their own homes, so this is really an extension of that hobby. Finally, the Doorways project sealed it for me. I got a feel for working with clients and how it could work out for me.

I'm going to keep my day job (which I still enjoy and it pays the bills quite nicely actually!) but I work part-time so I'm going to use a few of my off hours to do some home styling.

To be clear - this is not a full scale home design service. But, if you are looking for someone to help you pick out furniture, window treatments, paint colors, or accessories for your home, or if you just need someone to come over for a couple of hours to move furniture around your house and find better uses for your space, then I would be perfect for your needs. I am also happy to help you get a big picture idea of what you might do with a major home renovation or help you pick out tile for a renovation already in progress.

Finally if you are a real estate agent or a home owner selling your home, I would love to help you stage a home to sell. I have already started doing a bit of this work but would love to do more, in a use what you have format.

I will work in person if you are local or by email/video conference. All services are based on a flat hourly rate. Please let me know if you are interested!

I look forward to working with you!

Doorways Safehouse: The Living & Dining Room {On My Agenda}

2013-02-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

For the next few days, I'm going to post a little about each of the designers and the rooms they designed at the Doorways safehouse. If you are just joining us now (or rejoining after some time away), check out these background posts about the project before reading further.

Nicole Lanteri from On My Agenda took on the living and dining room combination. This room is the only space where the clients in the safehouse can hang out and relax other than in their rooms. Nicole describes herself as "a designer, former lawyer, and happy small businesswoman." She raised quite a bit of money for the Doorways project and she only purchaseddd high quality furnishings.

Here are a few samples of her past work from her website:

Here are a few pictures of the Doorways living and dining room space she was working with:

Generally the space was in pretty good condition. The built-ins are a great feature and focal point. The space does have nice light although the shades generally remain closed for security reasons. The built in bench works well for the house because several kids can sit together there.

Here is Nicole's design board (from her blog) -

The fresh golds and oranges are wonderful with the gray and teal.

And here are the after pictures...

It's an amazing space now. The pictures do not do it justice! I think everyone is in love with the new Room & Board sofa especially. The West Elm chairs offer comfort and durability.

And a quick before and after...

Thanks Nicole for taking on this big project!! Check out Nicole's blog for the sources.

p.s. I love Nicole's Pinterest page so be sure to check it out here!

Happy Valentine's Day! {Elizabeth's Valentines)

2013-02-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you are having a happy day. Handy Hubby and I have never been super into Valentine's Day. Before we had kids, we never saw the point of going out for a romantic dinner in overcrowded, overpriced, and understaffed restaurants just for the sake of a day. We often ended up in our local Mexican favorite-of-the-minute (we eat a lot of Mexican food) because those places were always empty on the "fancy nights".

Now that we have kids, we give the kids a little candy (a definite treat for them) and big hugs when they wake up. When Elizabeth went to kindergarten last year, we started doing school Valentines. Her preschool was somewhat anti-commercialized so they did not allow kids to bring in Valentines. So, kindergarten became a whole new outlet for my pent-up creativity. Check out last year's here.

In first grade, candy is not allowed (say wha??!!), so Elizabeth and I set out to find something that would work for first grade. We perused Oriental Trading company for cute pencils, erasers, or pencil shoppers (I don't think any of those would be objectionable to a teacher). I briefly considered bubbles but then thought better (she thought it would be awesome). We found some cute penguin erasers on sale for $3.99 per dozen. We did a little Pinterest searching, and then the rest was history...

First I cut some 4.5"x6" cardstock from the scrapbook aisle at Michael's. I also invested in this little paper trimmer which is intended for scrapbooking but I think it will come in handy for various craft, invitation, and birthday projects for years to come. It's similar to this one but I bought mine at A.C. Moore with a 40% off coupon.

Next, Elizabeth cut some "snow" out of 4x6 cards for the penguins to hang out on.

Then she glued the snow onto each card.

Lastly she attached the penguin to the card with a removable glue dot. (How is it that I never knew about Glue Dots until last year - the BEST!).

And my sweet and crafty Valentine girl!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Doorways Designers & "Before" Pictures

2013-02-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Over the next couple of days or weeks (depending on my blogging ambition!), I'm going to spotlight each of the designers in the Doorways safehouse project. I should say that all of the designers were very quick to respond to my request whether they could do it or not. I was completely shocked and so happy to have found all of the designers we needed within 2 or 3 days!

After everyone signed on (and signed a confidentiality agreement), I sent everyone pictures of the spaces and then they ranked their room choices. (BTW - DropBox is a great way to privately share photos!) Everyone received one of their top 3 choices, and several received their first choice. I thought I would share who got one room along with a run down of the "before" pictures.

Living and Dining Room - Nicole Lanteri of On My Agenda

Playroom/Office - Linda Kosovych of LCK Fine Arts and Design

Bedroom #1 - Anna Kucera of Gracious Living Design

Bedroom #2 - Kate Fallon of Studio K

Bedroom #3 - Heather Cichelli of Casa Mila Design

Dorm Room - Kiera Kushlan and Jessica Centella of Residents Understood

I mentioned the other day that I am tackling the basement office.

Finally, my two sweet neighbors are taking on the two hall bathrooms. Thanks Meghan and Krista!

We are also thankful for the tremendous help we are receiving from Washington Workplace in the attached staff office. I'll do a separate post on their designs.

I'll be back shortly with some progress pictures!

Master Closet: Displaying Oversized Necklaces

2013-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I purchased a closet/wardrobe consultation from a local stylist, Wendy Pilch, of Spendalla. She and I had a really fun hour digging through my closet and putting outfits together. Wendy is an amazing stylist and can put together amazing outfits using things you already have, give you suggestions on what to buy, and helping you accessorize (I was clueless with scarves!). Highly recommend it as a birthday gift to yourself :)

Anyway.... When I pulled out my jumble of necklaces out of my dresser for accessorizing, it became pretty clear to me that I needed a new solution.

Fortunately I had this really cool hook purchased nearly 2 years ago to hang a robe or two in our closet. It was too cool to be covered by a robe but I had not found the right purpose or place for it since then. So, it sat on the floor of my closet where Handy Hubby and I kept stubbing our toes on it!

I finally found my solution. Now I had to find a location. I thought about hanging it on the door of the closet, on the bedroom wall, and in several other possible locations. In the end, I decided the wall just inside the closet was the best possible location.

I knew Handy Hubby wouldn't be super thrilled because this is technically his side of the closet... but oh well. I wanted easy access to my pretty stuff. Ten minutes later, the hooks were hanging beautifully with only one extra hole which is thankfully nicely covered!

The best part was hanging my pretty (mostly bargain) finds on the hooks. So easy to grab a necklace as I run out of the closet. I used the hooks but also the tips of the fleur-de-lis. Bonus!

Now I have so much more space in my regular jewelry storage. I can actually find things! How do you organize your long or chunky necklaces?

Doorways Safehouse Project Update

2013-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I posted a few weeks ago (here) about the renovation of a local safe house run by Doorways. The main construction is being done by Sagatov Associates but we have recruited 6 amazing local interior designers, an office space designer, and two of my wonderful neighbors to each take on a room in the house. The house has 4 bedrooms, a living/dining room combination, a play room, 3 bathrooms, and 2 staff offices. It's a lot of rooms in a relatively small space! The designers certainly have their work cut out for them in these spaces.

We'll have some better before pictures in the next couple of weeks. The picture above is pretty old and fortunately it's not quite as bad as this right now! But, this is the main hang out space for the women and families who live here.

I want to introduce the designers who are working on this project... Please go and check out their websites and work. They are all amazing and have real dedication to this project. I'll share their design ideas for you in the next few weeks.

Heather Cichelli from Casa Mila Design

Anna Kucera from Gracious Living Design

Linda Kosovych from LSK Fine Arts & Design

Nicole Lanteri from On My Agenda

Jessica Centella and Kiera Residents Understood

Kate Fallon at Studio K

In addition we have Washington Workplace enlisted to help redesign and reorient the staff office space in the rear of the house. This space is critical since this is where the 24-hour emergency hotline is answered, and where the overnight staff sleeps (or doesn't sleep as the night may go).

Finally, I am going to try my hand at redesigning the basement office which is fairly gross right now. Here's a preview of the "before". Plenty of room for improvement!

Each of the designers is working on their design plans. Doorways staff has given their feedback and now we are confirming paint colors and ensuring flow between the spaces. We are very grateful to Sherwin-Williams for donating the paint to this worthwhile project.

If you are interested in financially supporting any of the designers above with this project, please go to the Doorways website, and put "Safehouse - Designer Name" in the box for "additional information". These designers are making a tremendous effort and donation so I know they will appreciate any help they can get!

Behind Closed Doors {Magnet Wall}

2013-01-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have had a little inkling that I had a magnet wall planned for the house. I have been intrigued with magnet walls for a long time but Elizabeth's room was the perfect place to give it a go. She previously had a disaster of a bulletin board behind her door. It was a hot mess. I didn't take a true before picture but here is the area right before I took down the bulletin board and (cute) frog barrette holder. She won't wear barrettes any more (wah!!).

My friend Colleen recommended some magnetic paint that she found on Amazon with good reviews. It seemed better than the Rustoleum version which I heard is stinky and doesn't work all that well. after reading all of the reviews, I learned that I had to paint at least 4 coats using a foam roller to limit texturizing the wall. This stuff is THICK so be sure to stir it well. I gathered my supplies and started a couple of coats just before we started painting the walls.

Soon, the wall looked like this.

After a few more (and some paint on the other walls...

After I tested it with 4 coats, I realized it would definitely need a couple more. I called it quits after our full day of painting. Sunday morning, I rolled on two more coats before painting the whole wall blue. Fortunately, two coats of the blue paint covered it beautifully.

Another Amazon review tip was to use strong magnets (also known as neodymium magnets or rare earth magnets) if you want to hold paper up. They are easily found on Amazon. I picked up some of these pushpin style magnets to hold up her masterpieces. Just two of these little guys held up her oversized "getting to know you" school poster.

She also received a set of magnetic poetry for kids for Christmas (I may have tipped off Grandpa) which has been fun for all of us to play with, especially Handy Hubby...

You can see the slight texture in the paint in the picture above. It was tough not to have texture but super thin coats seemed to be the way to go. I just wrapped my roller in a grocery bag between quotes (I waited about an hour or so between layers).

So, that's the secret behind the door. I love that when you take all of the magnets off, you cannot even tell it's a magnetic wall. In the long term, it will be a great place to hang certificates, photographs, and other childhood memorabilia that deserves display. Perhaps the best part is that only she really sees it since you have to close the door to see the wall - it cannot be seen from the hallway.

Any fun projects at your house this weekend?

Elizabeth's Room Evolves... AGAIN! {Reveal}

2013-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

I cannot wait to share the pictures of my daughter's room. Although I was skeptical about changing the color, I am so glad we did. I think I like it even more than her original room! So, without further ado...

And a before and after...

Sorry about the wonky color in the pictures - I took the photos at various times of the day and night.

We ended up keeping all of the hard furniture, ottoman, and bean bag. I even kept her duvet cover but just used the white background side instead of the pink. She has so much pink stuff, it just made sense to keep some of it and perhaps phase it out as she gets older. We an easily do that now that the big stuff is changed out.

I ended up changing out the curtains as well. Although I liked the embroidered sheers, I decided that something more substantial would look better. These are basic panels from Ikea - total cost $32 for four panels. I hemmed them to just below the window frames because I was so tired of them getting caught in her bed linens. They stay neat now without my intervention!

What do you think? Did you like the pink more? I know... it's a tough call!

Elizabeth's Room Evolves... AGAIN! {Chair}

2013-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

When we last left off in the Elizabeth room saga, I was talking about rugs and paint. My goal was to keep all of the furniture because this was supposed to be a "quick change". Hmm...

I had been thinking for quite a while that the chair was not working in her room generally. Although it was cute, it was not comfortable for reading or really sitting for any period of time. It was also very small so I could not read the kids stories. I had explored some other options on Overstock and other discount sites but with no real luck. Some good contenders for $400 dollars but nothing that really struck me. It had to be neutral to withstand any future fits of redecorating. This World Market chair is completely adorable and I almost bought it but decided it was no larger than the current chair.

Then I started thinking about Ikea...

Winner! So cute - compact size, washable slipcover... Yet, big enough for reading.

My mom and I took a quick trip to Ikea over the Christmas week. We picked up a couple of small treasures and this chair. You can imagine Handy Hubby's face when I told him he had to pack the chair as well as Christmas gifts in the car for the trip home from my brother's! hehehe

It's so perfect though...

What do you think?