Yummy Ruffles

I am one step closer to "finishing" my master bedroom makeover. Whew! It sure has taken a long time- and I am still not done. The project has taken on a life of it's own. I started with a very specific look in mind......and it has morphed into something almost entirely different. But I am loving it!

I have been on the search for curtains for the master bedroom. As you remember from my last post, I had several beautiful, vintage panels that I loved and wanted to use. Unfortunately, the thermal lining was a mess and after putting many hours and many failed attempts at pulling that lining off.......I gave up. I.do.not.have.the.time. Nope. So I moved on.

I had in my mind what I wanted for the windows but had a hard time finding it. Do you do that? Get something specific in your head as to what you want and then nothing else will do? I am that way. After searching high and low with nothing matching what I had envisioned I decided I would just make my own curtains!!!

Here they are in all of their finished, yummy glory...

Oh! I am so happy with how they turned out!

They are exactly what I had hoped and more.

I love that they give us privacy but still look wispy and light when the sun shines through them.

I did not have a pattern. I guess you could say it's a Heather Original. Hah! I just thought out how I was going to make them and really took my time. Lots and lots of time. I have about 8 hours in these babies, and some of that time was spent figuring out the process. I have to work around kids nap schedules and other stuff so it wasn't like I got to just sit and sew straight through from start to finish. I think that actually added to the excitement. It was like getting to a good part of a great novel and then having to put it down for a bit. Anticipation!!!

The time spent was so well worth it. I adore my new curtains. I keep looking at them and I smile every time. I love waking up in the morning to see the sun streaming through them and how the ruffles seem to make the light bounce across the room. I love watching the breeze gently blow the curtains in a way that reminds me of my mother's and grandmother's curtains growing up. And they look amazing with the "look" that I am trying to accomplish in our room.

I have decided to start making and selling these curtains!!! Well, not my pair! They are now available for sale in our Etsy shop: 2Sisters1Love. Link at the sidebar.

So, what do you think? Have you completed a project lately? Please share!

Blessings,

Heather:)

Inspired & Determined

I find inspiration everywhere. Magazines, catalogs, the Internet, nature, hotels and restaurants. I have a folder in my picture file titled "Decorating" and every time I see something that inspires me I save it to my folder. I look back at it often- especially when I am wanting to do a project. Unfortunately, I don't always save the source of where I find these pictures. I so wish I did! I would love to give credit where credit is due, so if any of you own these rooms or know where they came from please let me know.

Lately I have been really pondering what to do in the master bedroom. I started decorating the master bedroom over two years ago. Guess what- it's not done. Nope. Not at all. In fact, I never even really got started. I ordered bedding and sent it back. I bought curtains and returned them. I got frustrated and gave up. Just call me the inferior decorator. Yep. That would be me. I am so afraid of making a mistake in that room that I don't even try. One of my big issues the last couple of years is that I felt like I was finally coming into my style so I was hesitant to make choices. Now I realize, I HAVE found my style, and I have found the confidence to once again start the master bedroom. Another problem is that I didn't have a plan. Or a vision of what I wanted the room to look like. I would buy bedding and then be stumped, or pick out curtains and then get confused trying to get the rest of the room to "come together" in my head. But without a clear vision everything got blurred. I sat down with a piece of paper and wrote down everything I could think of:

1.) How the room needed to function
2.) What I/We wanted to feel when we were in the room
3.) Elements I wanted to incorporate into the room
4.) Fabrics I liked- look, feel, etc.

Once I had my list I started looking through my decorating inspiration folder and picked out all of the pictures that "spoke" to me. I noticed that out of all of the pictures, and my notes, that they all shared a common thread. Hmm. Imagine that. Now I have a plan.

Our master bedroom also has to serve as a home office. The problem is I don't want it to look all "office-y"..............I don't want to see the computer or the printer or bills that need to be paid or filed. I want to disguise that stuff as much as possible. I want the bedroom to be soothing, romantic, fairly monotone, and have sort of a vintage feel. I want it to be comfortable, crisp and airy.

Here are just a few pictures that have me inspired and determined to make this room a reality. Finally.
The perfect duvet...

Loving these gorgeous sheets from Pottery Barn. I think I can get this same look by adding some crochet trim to my existing white sheets.

The detail on this dresser...........swoon

Candles. Lots and lots of candles.

Built in cabinets and shelves to hide the office "stuff"

I heart these slipcovers

Ahhhhh........... a centerpiece for the bed

I love this room by Linda Woodrum. Iron beds.....vintage romance

Monotone, window seat, chandelier...

This window seat looks like a perfect spot for a good book and some hot tea. Oh the hours I could waste away here..........

White linens

My dresser is almost the same as this one. I just need to paint it black and distress it like this one. What a great look.

So, there you have it. A sneak peek into my plan. I can't wait to get started on it!

Where do you find your inspiration?

Blessings,

~Heather:)

Hi Ho Hi Ho It's Off to Work I go!

Wow! What a crazy busy weekend. Marc had Friday off so we worked a full three day weekend at the house. While Marc was working in the kitchen on the new electrical I tore out the old fiberglass tub and surround and then removed the toilet. At some point this little window had been installed.........and whoever installed it apparently didn't use a level. We had boards literally off by as much as two inches!! How to remedy that? Well, I got the bright idea of using a chisel and a hammer to shave the boards to the point that they would be level- don't worry, it doesn't interfere with any structural stability. We just had to rebuild a "frame" that would be flush and level in order to hang he concrete backer board so that we could tile the tub surround.


Once the tub area was ready to go Marc replaced the toilet flange in the basement toilet so we could remove this toilet. Once I took the toilet out I discovered a.......................issue. The toilet and remaining wallpaper was covering up a large patch of black mold. We weren't planning on ripping out all of the drywall in the bathroom but we were left with no choice. We can't leave moldy walls! So, I ripped the remaining drywall out and we are left with this.............

The above picture cracks me up. This house is a three level split. Here, I am standing in the kitchen and can see straight through the bathroom!! Not so good for privacy, eh? LOL!!!

Poor Marc worked for days on electrical. There were more than a few wires that were left in the wall that someone had just cut and tucked up in the rafters. Problem was most of the wires didn't even have wire nuts and tape on them................Oh! And they were live!!! How this house didn't catch on fire by now is beyond me. Some of the things we are finding makes me think that these "Do It Yourself" shows are waaaaaaaaaaay too encouraging.

Marc is installing can lights in the kitchen, new outlets, switches, everything will be brand new and up to code.

And just to give you an idea of how much we have gutted so far......................this is the trash and demo debris we have removed- thus far from the inside of the house................

To put this in perspective the house has a three car garage. The trash and debris take up a two car garage area and the pile is between 3 feet and 4 feet high!!!

And as much as I am for recycling and reselling to people who may be able to use this stuff, NOTHING and I mean NOTHING was salvageable. All of the doors had huge holes in them, cabinets were overtaken with mold, carpets were stained with animal......stink. Apparently the dogs were never taken outside to use the potty. Yuck.

I did something Friday that I never thought I would have to do. I fired an Amish person. I did. I feel terrible. However, when I spoke with him Thursday he had still not pulled the permit and was trying once again to push the start date back another two weeks. URGH!! We can not wait that long...............or try and count on him then and have him push it back again. We can not hang drywall until the roof is complete. So, I called four roofers Thursday afternoon, had three bids in by Friday morning and hired a crew Friday morning. The owner was back within an hour with the permit and the supplies were delivered within two hours. Now THAT is what I am talkin' about!

I was so happy until we pulled in the next day and found out just how bad the roof was. When all of the old layers were removed we were left with the bitter fact that over half of the boards on the roof are bad and need to be replaced. cha ching! cha ching! cha ching! Well, there goes an extra thousand bucks. But, it has to be done.

We were actually surprised that the roof hadn't collapsed with the weight of snow!

The crew was very busy this weekend and I think they are hoping to finish by Tuesday if the weather holds out.

Kind of weird to see big gaping holes in the roof!!!

It is so exciting though and I can not wait to see what the finished roof looks like!! I was left in charge of picking the shingles so hopefully they will look good!!!

When the drywall finisher came out to price his labor he advised us to rip out the remaining kitchen drywall so that we would get a smoother finish. Which means- easier and less time consuming for him which means- cheaper for us!! So, we gutted the rest of the kitchen. I do have to say the pry bar is, by far , one of my favorite tools!! I think every girl should have one!! LOL!!!

My husband told me Saturday when I was gutting the bathroom that I work like a man. I got all sappy and thanked him. I thought it was a huge compliment. I asked him if ,when we got married , if he had hoped for a prissy ladylike woman for a wife or a crazy tom-boy that isn't afraid to get dirty. He laughed and said he had hoped for a good combination of both! And that I could be a tom boy while we are working on the house but he would prefer I go back into "lady mode" when we leave!!! LOL!!!

We picked up the flooring that we will be using in the kitchen and living room. We don't need it for a while still but it was on clearance and it was too good of a deal to pass up.

Bruce laminate flooring- actually looks pretty darn close to real wood and even has the wood texture. The color is "Brazillian Cherry" and I think it will be gorgeous. All 25 boxes of it.

We also have a window!!! Woohoo!! This was Marc's favorite project so far. I thought the kitchen needed to be open to the living room so that it would have a more updated look and to allow the kitchen to seem larger than it actually is. So far, it is doing just what I had hoped!!

On the living room side here will be a little bar area where people can sit on stools and watch the cook in the kitchen. The wall is high enough on the kitchen side, however, that all of your dirty dishes and kitchen mess will be hidden when people walk in your front door.

Marc and the kids are very happy with the way it turned out!!

After a VERY long weekend we were all tired and ready to go home. I can't remember the last time I was this tired or this sore but I am turning into my kids. Every morning I think "Can we go to the house now!" It is that that great novel that you just can't put down. You stay awake until all hours of the morning because you are so eager to see how it ends. Although we still have 6 weeks left in our time frame and a lot to do, we are excited. We are now at the point where stuff is being put back together and we will be able to see big results with almost everything we do.

The kids are still having a great time and so are Marc and I. Maybe I am officially nuts now. We have had so many people tell us that we have taken on too much, that it is going to be impossible- especially with three small kids in tow. Although I admit that it is a huge undertaking.............. we will be able to do it. Our kids are amazing and enjoy being at the house. I just hope we all keep this same enthusiasm for the remaining 6 weeks!!

~Heather:)

More Treasures & More Projects

Well we finally brought the rest of my yard sale bargains from this past weekend out of the van. It's about time, huh? Here is a cute old scale that I picked up for $1!!! It has a patent on it from 1912 and 1913. Cool, huh?? And it works!!


And these precious girls............

The brown part is actually wood so I think they will be painted white and go in our bedroom. I also bought more white glassware/milk glass..............

And more bud vases too!

I worked on another little project today. Well, a couple actually. The first is a little table that I have had for years. I picked this up at an antique store while visiting my cousin in Oklahoma. I hauled this thing home in the back seat of a little Honda! Not an easy squeeze!! LOL!! I put a fresh coat of white paint on it today and plan on using it in my bedroom as a night table. It is a little shabby which I think makes it fun. I just have to find a pretty glass knob for the drawer. My husband asked me the other day "Is everything in our apartment going to be white?" Hmmm.............. it's kinda lookin' that way, isn't it?!?

My poor den! I keep clearing stuff out, throwing stuff away and then I keep coming up with projects to do................... and the den is where I do all of my projects!!! It's just a nice place to go and work and when paint is drying I can close the doors and keep the kids out!!

Here is another project that I am working on............... but just a peek!

Are you getting curious yet?????????? he he he Soon! You will find out very, very soon!! My goal is to have this project finished and posted by Friday!! I am SO excited to get it done just so I can post it!! Isn't it funny how blogging can be such a great form of motivation!?!

Have a great day!!

~Heather :)