this old house...

Hi ~ are you still there?

It's been a while!

I am sure you are, because blogging friends are like that.

You can pop in at any time and pick up like you were just here yesterday!

In between all my summer fun, I really have been visiting to see what you all have been up to.

Which has led to pinning, pinning and more pinning, because you are all so inspiring!

Now I am not rushing the summer away, because I am having so much fun, but I have been making quite a long list of Fall and Winter makeover projects.

Being away so much in the summer and wondering what I am going to come home to with 2 kids at home and seeing nothing new around is making me a bit antsy to start some projects.

To make a long story short, this old house is looking, well, old.

But not in a good vintage old way, just old and tired.

So, I have been gathering some ideas to give my old nest a new look.

One of the projects is to do my master bedroom over.

I am going to say goodbye to my Paris Hotel Suite!

So, today as I was cleaning my room, I decided to edit it a bit and send some things along to my space at the shop.

The shop has been so very busy ever since the feature in Romantic Homes Magazine!

After putting away the clutter, taking away a few things I don't "love" anymore and moving a few other things around that I do "love", here is what I ended up with...

I only changed around this side of the room.  It is not much of a change, but it will do until the end of camping season!

What I would love for this room is dark wood floors with some scatter rugs, the perfect shade of gray on the walls (I'll keep the trim white) and some new pieces (maybe something industrial) mixed in with my favorite vintage ones.  Some new lighting and interesting art for the walls should round out the project.  I am also going to paint all the different bureaus to unify them (and get rid of the ugly orangey pine color).

If you'd like to see what it looked like before, you can see it here, and if you would like to see what it looked like when I first shared the room on my blog you can see it here.

Want to see what I have been pinning?  You can check out my Pinterest!

So glad you stopped by, have a great day!

french inspired pieces...

Well, once camping season ends the DIY projects begin.

(Which seem to be keeping me from blogging!)

I could not find my leftover project list from last year so I moved forward and started a brand new one.

Jake's room.

I forgot to take before pictures, but I know I have some old ones, somewhere.

My color inspiration for the room is here.

I should have some before and during pictures to share next week.

In the mean time, I think I will share with you some of the french inspired pieces I just finished and brought into the shop this morning...

The shop is looking amazing and I took a lot of pictures when I worked on Saturday.

I will share them later this week.

In between cleaningandsandingandpaintingandpainting.

Oh and getting ready for the wonderful Creatively Made Home ecourse that starts next Monday!

I am so excited!!

Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes and thank you for stopping by ~ have a wonderful week!

inspired...

A few weeks ago I shared with you my second completed project of the year.

(You can click here to take a peek at the full post.)

I was looking for ideas for a vignette for the dry sink...

I received some great suggestions and inspiration, thank you!

I finally put this together...

I wanted something simple so I pulled out my JDL magazines for a little extra inspiration...

I am used to having a lamp here and am hoping to find an apothecary style one.

I sort of wandered around my nest and fluffed a bit after.

I picked up an "F" at Restoration Hardware and found the perfect place for it...

I also decorated for Valentine's Day...

I am sharing with Kathleen for White Wednesday.

On Friday I will share some more of my Valentine treasures for Debra's Valentine Vintage Inspiration Friday...

Thank you for stopping by and I would like to welcome all my new followers!

I am so glad you are here!

suggestions please...

Hello!

For White Wednesday this week, I thought I would share with you my second completed project of the year!

And it is still only January!!

First let me show you a before picture from last May...

This is in my living room and while I love the mirror over the chair I was not loving the vignette on the dry sink and was looking for another mirror to hang over it.

Treasure hunting late in the summer led me to this old beauty...

I knew I wanted to paint this mirror, but I procrastinated and before I knew it, the holiday rush was on.

This became new year project number two...

Did you notice that I painted the top of the dry sink too...

Here is the before again...

After I was done, I was mad that I waited so long to paint it!

Even the print on the chair does not seem to bug me as much anymore...

The dry sink was actually project two A.

I still need to put another coat on, distress it a bit then put a coat of wax on the top.

Makes me wonder why I did not paint the whole thing in the beginning!

Now I just need to find the perfect treasures to display  here...

I am thinking something wooden or natural to tie in with similar pieces I have in the room like this...

Old photo from last Fall.

Any suggestions?

I would love to hear from you!


Oh, and by the way, Google Chrome solved my comment problems!

Thank you so much for stopping by ~ I am off to get inspired over at Faded Charm!

not so tickled pink...

Ok...is it just me or do you start a project in one part of your house then jump to a different part of the house and start a whole different one?  Then you are going back and forth, and back and forth and neither one is getting finished then you go start a third?

I have been trying to finish off my kitchen and den mini makeovers (two rooms but really one project) then I started a project downstairs.  It needs a big purge, a deep cleaning, a coat of fresh paint on the walls and in the end all reorganized (heck, more than one project there but it is all project number two).  Now I have decided that the princess suite needs a makeover too ~ a mini makeover for now.  While I would love to change the wall color which I am not so tickled pink with anymore...

It will have to wait.  The princess is graduating from college this May (so, so proud!) and with her future unknown at this point no major makeover will be done.  However with the pinks and roses slowly disappearing from my nest her room seemed like the next place to start a purge (and a room that always needs cleaning!)...

I had these two paintings in her room but they were more me than her.  Well, they really aren't me anymore so they have gone to my booth.  Now while I love this bureau I found treasure hunting...

I am over it.  Off to my booth it will go.  I am replacing it with this...

A trash find (ssshhhh...don't tell her!).  It looks like this now...

I like it and so does she and it will fit into the future makeover I have in my mind for that room much better!  This photo was taken downstairs.  That rug is going soon and see the back wall...

Jim and I went to Home Depot yesterday and got some shelving to put up.  I need more storage for craft supplies, items I have on Etsy as well as small projects that await a makeover.  I am going to hide it all behind a drop cloth curtain.  Now if only I could sew...

I am joining Susan over at Between Naps On The Porch for her Metamorphosis Monday party.  Hmmm...I hope I don't get inspired to start a fourth project!!

For all you followers who remember I mentioned Friday that I would fill you all in on how I plan to celebrate my one year blog anniversary today, my apologies.  To be honest I had one of those weekends and did not get my thoughts put together yet.  So, please forgive me but I promise to get my act together by Wednesday!  It makes more sense for me anyway since this wonderful adventure began on White Wednesday almost a year ago!!

Have a great week!!

nesting in a winter wonderland...

Well I had the merriest of Christmases ~ how about you?  Even though there were a few questionable moments...

Santa was very good to my family (including me!).  While I planned to just relax on Sunday anyway, the uninvited Nor'easter blew in and made doing nothing that much cozier.  I lit the fire...

And curled up with my new Nook.  It is like the Kindle but it is from Barnes and Noble.  I have not learned all the bells and whistles yet but I think the Nook (which is in color) allows you to lend a friend with a Nook a book from your library.  I have downloaded a few free previews but I would love to hear what book you recommend!!  Anyway, by Monday afternoon the storm had passed and I did a lot of looking out my window to the winter wonderland (perfect for White Wednesday over at Faded Charm)...

The wind was wild during the storm and I love how it "painted" the house across the street...

I have been slowly putting away my Christmas decorations.  It takes a while because I have to clean each room as I take away all things merry and bright.  Then of course the re-arranging begins.  New vignettes are born and projects are added to the winter list.  Having something to look forward to and keep me busy over the long New England winter makes me happy!

Winter afternoons and weekends used to be very busy around here.  We have a little hill in the backyard that my kids and their friends would sled on.  Now it sits quietly, patiently waiting for one of the neighbor's visiting grandchildren...

I have already made a few changes around my nest which I will start to share with you in the new year.  Would you like a little hint...

I had made some new signs for my booth after it's makeover (and put some in my Etsy shop) so I decided to use one in my kitchen.  As I begin to re-feather my nest I find myself not only changing vignettes but taking things away and simplifying.  The pinks and roses are slowly disappearing (look for them at The Wrentham Country Store or in my Etsy shop).  I am going to try and bring a bit of farm house charm and mix it in my french cottage home.

As I was putting away my decorations I came across this sweet ornament I do not think I showed you...

I thought it captured the moment I feel I am in right now.  Enjoying the view and nesting in a winter wonderland...

Thank you for visiting on this last White Wednesday of 2010.  It was on a White Wednesday back in February when I started my little blog adventure.  A big thank you from my heart to Kathleen.  Faded Charm was THE place to be on Wednesdays and I am so happy I joined in on all the fun!!