Inspiration Tuesday...

Ok...so after looking at the inspiration board for the office again, I decided it needed a bit of a makeover.

This is what I came up with...

So...the reasoning behind the board.  The Hubs and I compromised on a blue/orange office.  Anything else was too "girly" or too "manly" and it was really the only color combo he agreed on.  And when the Hubs agrees to something...I kinda have to jump on it. 

I love cowhide rugs.  Love.  The Hubs?  Yeah...not so much.  But I just couldn't find a rug I liked very well for the office.  Then I found this one.  Um...kinda think it's pretty durned awesome.  Now I know some of you don't like cowhide rugs.  In fact I'm sure there are people out there that pretty much hate them.  So you are probably looking at this and thinking it is horrible.  However...I love it!  It think it's so perfect for the space its going to go in.  It's the perfect color of blue and it's the perfect size.  


The orange file cabinet from Ikea is so great!  It fits right in with its modern lines and the orange color.  It really is the only storage space we need in there so it's just right for the space.  


The office is in a basement with 2 tiny tiny windows so I knew there had to be some extra light in there.  But I didn't really want a table top lamp.  Then I spotted this one and fell in love.  The Hubs really liked it too so we're gonna be getting it.  It's $87 for the table lamp and $108 for the floor lamp so I just have to decide which one I want in there.  


I have a love affair with gallery walls.  I just love love love them.  In the office we're going to be using the 2 walls behind the corner desk as a gallery wall BUT!  It's going to be artwork and photography that we do ourselves.  We are lucky enough to have an Air Force museum pretty close to our house so the Hubs is going to go take some artsy pictures of his favorite planes (he's obsessed with WWII planes) and then I'll edit them so they can be vintage looking and then we'll hang 'em up!  Also...I'm going to be designing some prints as well that will add some color to the art.  


We totally need a corner desk.  The one from Ikea is our inspiration but we're actually going to DIY one using some Ikea legs and plywood.  We'll start on that as soon as the room itself is done.  


I love that office chair.  I love Lucite furniture but I need a chair that rolls because I work off of my work computer and my personal computer.  I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted this one!  Score!

The airplane mobile is totally for the Hubs.  He really really loves his planes and this was just the perfect touch for him and helped to convince him to let me hang up the mirror.  I absolutely adore this mirror.  The price...?  Yeah, not so much.  So I'm on the look-out for a good knock-off.  But I just love it.  We're painting the walls a light turquoise so I'm debating whether to leave it white or paint it orange.  We'll have to see.  It'll be one of the last touches in there so I've got time to decide.  :)  

And while ceiling fans are not my favorite, the office needs one.  It gets kinda stuffy in the summer because of the lack of ventilation.  And that one really isn't all that bad.  In fact...I actually like it.  :)

So there you have it.  The updated inspiration board.  I can't wait to start pulling this all together!  But first...wood and sheet rock.  :) 

The Office...

So the Hubs sat down last night and asked me oh so seriously if we could finish the office before starting on the kitchen.

I had no idea he was so into finishing the office.

Shows what a little communication will get you.

I, of course, jumped at that idea.  I really really REALLY want our office done.

So the Hubs is watching YouTube for instructions and pricing out his shopping list and New Year's weekend...construction will begin.

If you remember...this is the room chock full of lead paint.  This is the room that we demolished before we realized this fact.  This is the room that has been at a complete standstill since that moment.  This is the room that has basically been quarantined until we figured out what to do.  We have now officially figured out what to do.

Cover it all up.  Contain it all and make sure it is all covered up and not breathed in.

We're actually going to lose about 3 inches all around because we're framing the room.  Lucky for us...the previous people basically just nailed the sheet rock directly to the foundation.  And the other 2 walls that are foundation are just horrid so they came down.  So we're framing the 2 foundation walls and replacing all the sheet rock on the other 2 walls and so yup...!  It'll be a brand spankin' new room!  Woot woot!

So here is our list of items to buy or rent...

Level - already have several. 

Hammer - Hubs has one and I have a pink one.  I know...you're jealous.  :)

Plum line

Chalk line - Yup...got that one.

Measuring tape - Um...I've lost count of how many are floating around here.

Skill-saw/circular saw

3-inch framing nails 

2 X 4 lumber, untreated 

(2) sawhorses or workbench 

Treated 2 X 4 lumber 

3-inch concrete nails

So really not too bad.  And just as a refresher...Here is the inspiration board (which is subject to change. Haha!)

The chair for instance...yeah, we've decided that going to go.  I swear its giving me back problems.  But we really do like everything else.  And since the Hubs is the one who spends the most time in there...I think it's pretty important for him to like his space.  He picked out a lot of what we're using so hopefully it'll give him kind of a working man cave.  Haha!

Inspiration Tuesday...A Day Late. Again.

I know I know!  I stink at getting these up on time.

Here's my excuse.  My boss at my work work is quitting and I'm being trained to do a LOT of reporting and its taking up all my time.

As in actually driving the 45 minutes it takes to get to work.

I forgot how long that drive was.

But it's good.  It's stretching me and helping me grow.

ANYWAYS!  Back to my inspiration board!

I've been thinking a lot about what we're going to do when we add another little one to our brood.  No, I am not pregnant.  This is not an announcement.

But when we do...the Princess and the Peanut (that what we're calling our non-existent child) will share a room.  We have 4 bedrooms but with only 1600 square feet...1 of those is my office.  1 of those is our workout room.  1 is the master.  And the other is the nursery.  While it would be great to be able to put workout equipment in the family room...the ceiling is only 6 feet tall so nothing will fit.  I'm thinking we'll probably combine the office and workout room eventually but right now...the "office" is torn to studs.

*Ahem*

We should probably finish that sometime soon.

So the office and the workout room are the same right now and I kinda don't like it.  I can't wait to get back into my real office.

SO!  When the Peanut does eventually join our little family...the 2 kids will share a room.

For some reason it has really been on my mind.  Probably because every time I walk into the Princess' room I shudder.

Seriously.

It REALLY needs some help.  But in re-doing it...I have to take into consideration the fact that the next baby might be a boy and we need something gender neutral.

This is what I came up with.

If you want to know where any of these products came from...just click on the picture.  

That crib is not our exact crib but it is very similar to the one we have right now.  Ours just has a straight back instead of the arch.  The three fabric swatches next to the crib would make some seriously adorable crib bedding.  I'm kinda thinking I'll be making my own bedding since I can't find anything anywhere that I like.  When the Princess was born I just pieced things together and still didn't care for what I had.  That was before I had a sewing machine.  


I adore that rug.  Seriously.  Love it for a kid's room.  The colors, the design...everything.

I've always loved the Eames style rockers and this one is from Target for a VERY affordable price.  There is also a blue one that I love but for some reason it wouldn't import so I used the white one...and I kinda like it a bit better because then I can add more color in the throw pillows.  The 2 fabric swatches next to the rocker would be adorable as a throw pillow.  Ah how I love my sewing machine.  :)


The toddler bed is from IKEA and is actually extend-able to a twin!  NICE!  I love the iron look and I would totally put a canopy over her bed if the room was bigger.  But...the room would shrink considerably if I were to do that with a crib in there too...  The fabric swatches next to the bed would make a really fun quilt for a little girl.  

I am IN LOVE with those pom pom curtains.  I'm seriously going to IKEA next week (for my kitchen counter tops!  EEK!  So excited!) and I'm buying some white curtains for in her room so I can knock these curtains off.  I'm thinking probably yellow poms.  We'll see.  

And I love the beautiful I am a Child of God print.  That is the Princess' favorite song and the color just fits right in.  


I have a definite love for ceramic animals.  Call me crazy.  I think I would actually re-paint this one either yellow or turquoise though...depending on the wall color.  If I did a light light yellow...the owl would be turquoise.  If I did a light light turquoise...the owl would be yellow.  We'll have to see on that.  But I definitely thing he adds some whimsy to the room.  Love.  

And that light.  Oh that beautiful light.  I love love LOVE all things Anthropologie but they are far outside of my budget.  So I'm going to try to knock this light fixture off.  We'll see how that goes.  :)  


So there you are.  My colorful (very colorful) boys and girls room.  Let me know what you think!

Obsessing...

If you remember THIS post...you'll remember I kind love glass shelves in kitchen windows.

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Well...I'm kinda obsessing over this lately.

As in, can't really get it out of my head obsessing.

As in, I'm measuring windows and punching out numbers.

As in, I'm totally doing it next month when we start our kitchen remodel.

Yup...you read right.

We're starting our remodel next month.

Quite excited about that.  I'm going to be working on getting some before pictures up here sometime soon but in the meantime...I'm leaving you with more pictures of shelves in windows...

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Christmas Cards...

I love getting Christmas cards.

Love.

We've just taped them to the back of our front door the past couple of years but I don't really care for that anymore.

Call me crazy.

So we've decided to add a little tree in our basement family room and decorate it with mini candy canes, twinkle lights, and the Christmas cards we get.  We don't get a ton...  Guess we're just not on enough mailing lists.  HA!  But it's been really fun so far!  I'll post a picture when it gets a big more filled up.

My question is...how do YOU display your Christmas cards? 

Do you have a buliton board like this one?

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Do you hang them on some holiday ribbon?

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Do you hang them on a twiggy tree?

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What about a Christmas card bunting like this one?

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There are so many different ways to enjoy Christmas cards.  What's your favorite?

Inspiration Tuesday

Today has been a good day.

Sometimes as a mom there are some bad days.  Days where you just feel absolutely zero motivation to do anything.  Days where just getting dressed is a major accomplishment.

Today has not been one of those days.  Yesterday...well, that was another story but today...it's been a good day.

The Princess and I got up.
We showered.
We got dressed.
We ate breakfast (with no arguments or food flung anywhere).
We went Christmas shopping for Daddy (we're now officially done.  Woot woot!!!).
We got a fun little craft Christmas tree to do together.
We found some pretty pillowcases on sale at Target for $10.56 (SCORE).
We went to Burger King (not my favorite but hey...it's cheap).
The Princess ate all of her food and stayed in her chair the whole time.
We came home.
We did our craft Christmas tree.
We watched Dora.
The Princess is now tucked away in bed (went down without a sound) and I get to play for a minute.

I do however, have laundry waiting for me. 

But yup...good day.

SO on to our Inspiration Board of the day!

Ok...I decided to do a bedroom today.  I recently had someone tell me I needed to do more bedrooms.

And here is a new bedroom I came up with.

I love the warm feeling of it with the vintage glam look of the nightstand and wall art.  

I LOVE the pom pom curtains.  They didn't have them in yellow or blue but I put them on here anyways because they would be a way easy DIY.  Just some sheer white curtain panels and some pom pom piping from any craft store.  In fact these are the curtains that will be going up in my master bedroom.  I'll do a photo documentation of them when that time comes and share it.  

I love love LOVE the tree jewelry stand.  I'm gonna ask Santa for it for Christmas.  :)  And I thought the book storage boxes were brilliant for any other jewelry that can't be hung.  And then the bird binoculars add just a twist of whimsy and fun.  Not to mention it totally matches the color scheme as well. 

As for a wall color...I would probably do a very light LIGHT mustard/yellow statement wall.  You could even do the walls all the same color but then add some stripes to the statement wall.  I just love stripes...  :)  Probably too much. 

New Addition...

I just bought this chair.

Trust me...the picture DOESN'T do it justice.  

I had to find a nice, red(ish) velvet chair for a groomal shoot I'm doing and I stumbled across this one.  The price was decent and it looked like it was in good shape from the picture so I said sure.  I went out this morning...took a look at it and oh my!  I fell in love.  It's in PERFECT condition.

I love it.  

I'm going to eventually (after the snow is gone and it comes in the house instead of being used for shoots) re-stain the feet to a much darker wood and eventually...when the velvet starts to wear...I'm going to re-upholster it to a fun and graphic print...like maybe this one...

Or this one...

Or maybe even this one...

Or I could go crazy and do something like this...

Or even this...

Call me nutty...but I kinda like the fish.  Random, I know.  

But for now, the chair will stay as is and instead get a lovely pillow made from this...

And it's going in my reading nook.  Mmmmmmmmm....

Inspiration Tuesday...A Day Late...

Wow...this week has just flown.  I'm a day behind.

I keep thinking today is Tuesday.  Dunno why.

SO!  Because of that our Inspiration Tuesday is gonna be on Weds this week.

And here is our Inspiration Board for this week.

I love that rug.

I think it's so durned cool!  But the Hubs...?  Yeah, he kinda hates it.

As in thinks it's the ugliest thing on planet earth.

So I decided to dream and come up with a living/family room.  And I kinda love it.  The couch is by far my favorite part.  I will one day own this couch. 

And there you have it!