It's been a LONG time!

Ok, so I know I haven't posted in a really long time, but I have been busy... I'm super excited to say, that since the Soiree, I've been staying busy with design projects!  Besides the work I've been doing for others, we've done some renovating in our mudroom, laundry room, office, and bathroom.  

So, I thought I would post some pictures of things I've been working on.  Some projects are still in the works, so this is just a few to start with!    

This is a valance that I made for a client, the fabric was purchased from the Scarlet Poppe.
Unfortunately, the picture is a little dark, but they turned out beautiful in this great kitchen.

This is a "fixer upper" piece that I got for storing "stuff" in our mudroom.  

This is what the top looked like before.  It looks like it was probably used in a garage, and it had some some stains on it.

This is the after 

Another after pic

And here it is done, in the mudroom, with new hardware.

Speaking of the mudroom, here are some more before and after pictures... I didn't take before pictures of the mudroom with all the "junk" in it, because it was just too embarrassing. For anyone that knows me, and has been to my house, you know that  the mudroom was my least favorite room in my house, and needed some serious cleaning and organization! 

These are the closet doors in the laundry room, they were white and looking pretty dingy...

Here is the after

I distressed them a little, to let some of the white show from underneath, and put new handles on them.

The walls were pretty beat up in the mudroom, so I patched all the holes from the old hooks and shelving,  and painted all the walls an antique white, (in the laundry room too).  I also touched up the trim which is white.  

I got all the patching and painting finished, and then I decided to remove this shelf too.  So, I ended up with some more patching and painting to do!

These louvered swinging doors, were taken down, and will be replaced with a sliding "barn door" in their place.

In this picture you can see the contrast between the antique white walls, and the white trim.

You enter in the mudroom, and then you go up a step into the laundry room, so the rooms flow together.

This is a picture of the old flooring that we had in there.  They were the vinyl "peel and stick" tiles... bad idea.  Yes, they are cheap, but you get what you pay for.  The reason we chose them was because, they were cheap, and  this used to be our attached garage.  When we remodeled, and added this mudroom, they didn't raise the service door (which is now the entry door to the mudroom), so we didn't have enough clearance for many other options.  So we bit the bullet and had the door raised so we could do something different with the floor, and actually have enough clearance for a rug in front of the door as well!

Notice the ugly kick plate underneath the step in this  picture...

Here is what we decided to do... we had ship lap laid on the floor (which is wide pine planking), we went right over the old vinyl.

Notice the ugly treated wood kick plate... GONE!

Now, my work really began...

First I primed the floor.

Then I painted it with 2 coats of a cream color "porch and floor" paint.

Finally I stenciled this harlequin patten in a "runner style" in the laundry room.  It runs in front of the sink, washer and dryer.

Derek made this for storing our hats, mittens, scarves, and many, many, shoes!

I found these great hooks and made a coat hook for our many, many coats!

I got this fabric from the Scarlet Poppe, and made a valance to add some texture to the room.

We also replaced the old fluorescent light with this "school house" light.

Alright, here is the room being used...

It's so great being able to have a big rug in front of the door!

I still have a few more finishing touches to do, like hanging a few more things on the wall, but  I have to say that this project was SO worth the work.  It is great to enter into my house and have it looking great, and organized.  I'm no longer embarrassed when visitors come in this door anymore.  

This is all I had time to upload today, but check back soon for more project before and after pictures.  I hope I inspired someone to roll up their sleeves, and jump into a project!  

Thanks for reading!

Holiday Decorating

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

When decorating for the Holiday Season, I like to incorporate nature in my design ideas.  That way your decorating will last through the winter, after the Holidays are done, and still look great.  Not to mention it really helps keeps the cost down, you can gather materials in your backyard for free!

I filled my flower pots with boughs, branches  and anything
interesting I could find outside.

My Porch

A wreath like this can be reused year after year,
just by adding a few new branches.

Lanterns line my sidewalk with flameless candles
that come on at dark.

A "splash" of red!

Ok, so here is my latest project... my only regret, that I didn't take a before picture.  I alway forget that, I'm too excited to get started, and then I think of it when I'm done!  Oh well, what I started with was a mirrored bi-fold closet door in my entry way.  The door was not staying on the track anymore, and I decided I wanted to do something different.  So here is what I came up with...

I got a 6panel solid unfinished pine bi-fold closet door
from Menard's for under $100.  Then I painted it a "barn red" color.
I've always like the look of a red front door, but didn't want to
commit to it. So this is a fun alternative, it's right inside the entry
way, and gives the welcoming feel of a red door.

This photo isn't a good representation of the color (the picture above shows the true color better),
but I wanted a close-up of the handle I chose.  I found this "old looking" door knob ($12) to put on the door
instead of the cabinet hardware that is usually used.  It gives the door a real high end look.