Friday, April 29, 2011

A Girl Can Change Her Mind

Right before completing this post I put a second coat on the square of paint I had put on the dinning room wall.  Then I rushed over to the computer, finished typing up my big dinning room color announcement and hit "post".  Well, as the second coat began to dry my convictions started to wain.  It was turning into a more icy blue then greyish blue.  And when my husband got home that night he confirmed my worries...too blue, not enough grey.  OH NO!  I had posted with such confidence but oh well... I girl can change her mind!

So we scratch Beacon Falls ACE Paint off the list and head back to the paint isle this weekend.  Second times the charm!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

May Is Time For Play

In addition to painting the dinning room & making my mom's headboard (as if that isn't enough) in May I am going to focus on a new play space for my lucky little girl! 

The former owners of our house added on a wonderful sun room.  We are very lucky to have this additional entertaining and play space.  I think it is the only one like it in the neighborhood.  And with Summer fast approaching it is going to be the perfect spot for a new art and play area for my daughter.  Not to mention that my daughter's most recent obsession is sitting in chairs, which means it is time for a kids sized spot for her to sit.


We really haven't done anything in this room so far.  The fabulous jungle fabric window treatments are still framing the space and the window seat cushions need some new fabric as well.  We have put our outdoor patio furniture in here for the time being.  But despite all of this I do love the room.  It has wonderful light, a cozy fireplace and is a great place to curl up and read a book.  I can only imagine how wonderful it will be once the sun actually comes out!

So my plan is to move this window bench to the other side of the room, opening up this nook for an art area.

Then I am going to look for a fun play mat or rug to soften up the hard tile because she is still a little clumsy on her feet - it is adorable!  I would really prefer a rug but I need something that is easy to clean.
Tadpoles ABC Floor Mats - Green & Brown -  Tadpoles - Toys"R"Us
    
Next I am going to do my darnedest to find a good deal on a table.  I have been checking them out for a while and just haven't seen the perfect thing at a good price yet.  I have my eyes pealed for a good Target or Toys-R-Us coupon.  I'm also keeping my eye on Craig's List but kids tables don't come up to often. 
White Table and 4 Chair Set - Tot Tutors  - Babies"R"Us
Of course some art supply storage will be necessary as well as stocking up on more crayons, coloring books and maybe even some play dough or finger paints.  (This may be a very bad idea!)  I would also love to find an easel for her but we will see.  In all honesty I think an easel would more then anything just look cute.  She is to young to use it right now, but she will someday so we will see what I find. 

KidKraft Deluxe Wood Easel -  KidKraft - Toys"R"Us
I will also sneak in a few crafty projects myself to personalize the space and make it a toddler friendly spot in an otherwise grown up space.

But here is where I need your help!  All you Mom's out there I would love your input on great furniture you have bought (or not so great furniture), craft storage and flooring ideas.  Please help me out by commenting below or emailing me at missiondecorate@gmail.com

Monday, April 25, 2011

Ladies & Gentlemen, We Have Picked A Dining Room Color



There are many theories when it comes to selecting paint colors.  Some utilize the color wheel - warm colors vs cool colors, coordinating with opposing colors.  Others focus on fung shui and the psychology of colors - oranges and reds represent energy as blues and greens are calming.  I instead follow my own color theory...GO WITH YOUR GUT!

I fully believe in having a plan - coordinating rooms, accessories, feel - but at the end of the day I select a color by what I am naturally drawn to.  And even if I look through hundreds of color samples and think about it for weeks I almost always end up back with the color I first grabbed when I walked into the paint isle.  And that is exactly what happened with our dinning room.

I set out to find a color that would "go" with our bright Grand Piano Room blue.  (Not "match" but "go".)  Although the rooms are not connected they are the first two rooms you see when you enter the house.  They are alike in size and function (read - they are not used very much).  And they frame the main living space which allows us to add a punch of color while keeping the kitchen and family room neutral.   Therefore, I wanted them to have a similar feel  - the cool, calming color of blue.  And you want to know what is amazing, even though the blue in the Grand Piano Room is bright and very bold it is somehow calming.  Gosh those experts are right! 


So keeping this color in mind I went to my favorite ACE Hardware (shout out the Middleton Springs ACE!)  I skipped to the paint section (what...you don't skip around the hardware store?) and was immediately drawn to a light blueish grey.  But I gathered a number of options so I could take them home to my husband to discuss.  We selected two colors out of the bunch, one being my initial choice, and I went back to ACE to pick up some samples.  But they didn't have the handy little paint samples of the two colors I liked so I was forced to make an executive decision and we all know how that ended up.  I of course went with my gut and picked the color I had liked from the beginning.  I put my $5 off coupon to work and headed home with this... 


The first coat looked pretty grey but with a second coat the blue seemed to come out more.  It is always hard to capture paint color on this small scale, but I think it will look great once the job is done.

Speaking of that, now that the color has been chosen there are two matters still to address.  Numero uno...is it time to also tackle the wall-o-mirrors in the dinning room or do we leave that for a later date.  (I am terrified.)


And numero dos, who is going to paint for us?  Anyone?  Anyone?  We have new neighbors moving in next door and they had painters over at their house today.  I was SO tempted to run over there and ask how much they would charge to paint my the dinning room.  But...I stopped myself.  As a prideful DIYer I just wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror if I wimped out on painting and my cheap self would never let me pull the trigger anyways.  So the job is still available.  Who is coming over the paint?  I will provide the beer and pizza!

And for those of you following the $250 Challenge here is the breakdown on my month so far...

vase $16.99
flowers $21.89

metal sign $12.99
toy storage baskets $42
dinning room paint $22.14

TOTAL $116.01

Thursday, April 21, 2011

How the heck do you make kids toys look nice?

Pre-children my husband and I used to walk into the homes of our friends who had kids and think "WOW they have let toys take over!"  I would formally like to apologize for any rude thoughts I have ever had toward anyone out there because this is what my family room looks like right now...


This mess prompted me to go to Target with the intention of picking up a couple more toy baskets.  But once I started walking around (I just can't seem to go to Target without cruising all the home isles),  I got to thinking that the toys probably need a home they can grow into.  I mean we all know they will only expand over the next few years so why buy something temporary now that will only need replacing in a few months.  So then I started considering some sort of shelving and basket combo.  Maybe something like this from Target...

Product Image

or this from Land of Nod...

6-Cube Bookcase

But before I made an impulse buy I thought I better look at the space and think this out a little further, especially because I am determined to stay within my $250 this month.  (Pat on the back for me...I am all about the impulse buy!)  Once I got home and looked around the room I started to think that we just don't need more furniture in the space, well at least not until we decide what we are going to to as far as design goes. 

Side Note: Our Family Room is the most used room in the house but I just can't decide what I want to do with it.  I think the thing that is holding me back is that I really want a new couch.  But that is on the bottom of the list right now!

And this is when I came up with my plan.  Behind our couch is this...

...a great Pottery Barn console table which we changed out the nobs for these fun Anthroplogie orange numbers.  I used to have great colored bowls displayed in the cutouts but that was before little hands came into the picture so they have been sitting empty since we moved.  So are you thinking what I am thinking?  I already have a shelving and basket combo!  All I need is the baskets!  Brilliant if I say so myself!

So a couple of measurements later, a trip to World Market and I have toy storage! 


And instead of spending a hundred dollars or more on shelving in addition to the baskets, I spent $42 and my problem is solved!

For those of you following the $250 Challenge here is the breakdown on my month so far...

vase $16.99
flowers $21.89

metal sign $12.99
toy storage baskets $42

TOTAL $93.87

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Revisiting Crate & Barrel

Koz/Naya/Zelda VasesSpin HurricanesNatural Fiber RugsColette Bed and Marimekko® Puutarha Lilac Bed Linens

In my youth (hehehe) I worked at Crate & Barrel and loved it!  As a matter of fact, our house is still full of great stuff I bought with my employee discount.  Ahhhh, "employee discount" what a beautiful phrase.  But for some reason I have gotten away from Crate & Barrel lately and drawing more of my inspiration from Pottery Barn & Ballard Designs.  (I must note here that I almost never buy anything at either of these stores but I love to browse their website and catalogues for their brilliant ideas.  Maybe when I win the lottery browsing will change to buying.)

However, while working with my mom to furnish her new condo I stopped by the C&B  website and have been quite pleased with my Crate reintroduction!  Their website is not as sexy as Pottery Barn, (I can't believe I just said Pottery Barn is "sexy" - I really need to reevaluate my definition of sexy) but some of the prices and designs have surprised me.  And their quality is never to be questioned, it is really the best! 

Here are a few finds I loved... (And sorry for the insanely large pictures.  I am fighting with my computer to resize them and seem to be loosing.)

This is the Foundry Coffee Table.  I love how it combines the textures of the wood and metal.  I am trying to talk my mom into buying this one.

And I thought the Parsons Console Tables with Travertine Top were gorgeous!

 

I also loved some of the rooms they put together...

Modern Cottage

Open Dining

 Retro Fit

So pay a revisit to Crate & Barrel and maybe you will get inspired!

Friday, April 15, 2011

What I Love About Madison




My husband, daughter, 2 beagles and I moved to Madison, WI in September.  We moved here from San Francisco where both my husband and I where born and raised and where we always planned on raising our kids.  But you know what...life happens and when my husband found a great job opportunity in Madison we sold our house, packed our bags and hit the road.  We have been here just over 6 months and survived our first winter (Barely!  Man it is cold here!).  I knew I would appreciate the lifestyle change moving to Madison (bigger house, going from full time to part time work, being closer to my brother and his family) but honestly I never imagined loving it this much!  So here are a few things I love about Madison...













~ Madison is a political, creative, interesting, busy town that is surrounded by corn fields.  If I leave my house and drive 10 minutes in one direction I am in the heart of downtown Madison, at the Capital Square surrounded by protesters (especially these days).  If I leave my house and drive 2 minutes in the other direction I am in the middle of a dairy farm. And I love this fact!

~ Madison has THE BEST farmers market I have ever been to.  Starting back up this Saturday, the Capital Square Farmers Market is the place to be on Saturday mornings.  The amazing produce, eggs, cheese, bread and even better cheesebread is beat by no other.  The San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers Market has been on the Food Network a zillion times, but I am telling you it has nothing on this farmers market.  And the best part...it is CHEAP!  Ahhh, music to my ears.

~ What they say about people in the Midwest is true...they are the nicest people in the world!  The friends we have made here are generous, thoughtful and truely genuine people.  Thanks guys for making us feel so welcome!

~ I breezed by the fact that by moving here I was able to change my working life but I want to revisit this.  For those of you who don't know me personally, my real career is in the Fitness Industry.  I have worked as a Personal Trainer, Instructor & Fitness Manager for years.  I have worked long hours from sun up to sun down but honestly I have loved the business every step of the way.  I always said that someday I would love to work part time, just teaching classes and training clients.  But honestly I thought that was someday way off in the future if ever.  Moving to Madison has allowed that someday to be today.  I get to raise my wonderful daughter and still do what I love.  It just doesn't get any better then that!  I am so thankful to my husband for making this happen.  Babe you ROCK!

And the best part is everyone says that summer is the best part of living here so it is only going to get better!
So I know this post has nothing to do with decorating or the house or anything you might care about.  But I woke up this morning feeling really grateful and I wanted to share it with you so I hope you don't mind. 
And P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNY!  I LOVE YOU!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Working On My $250

It is time for my first $250 Challenge Check-in.  If you missed the explanation of the challenge you can get up to speed here!

As I mentioned, this is my first time using Dave Ramsey's envelop system and I am loving it!  I have never been a person who carries around much cash.  I actually think this is pretty true to our generation.  We are all debit card junkies (if not credit card junkies)!  But there is something empowering about using cash, especially when there is a set amount.  It turns it into a game!  I know I only have $250, now how far can I stretch that and still get the quality I want?

I have a specific list of what I am working on this month including the dinning room table & wall color, filling the shelves in the Grand Piano room and finishing the menu art - and I am off to a good start!

My first stop was Marshalls.  Marshalls is my consolation prize for not having a HomeGoods close by.  Marshalls (same company as HomeGoods) has a small home section reminiscent of the fabulousness that is HomeGoods.  I stop in every couple of weeks and often find great stuff and always find great deals.  And yesterday I found this great vase for...$16.99!


It is big...more officially called oversized.  The color is bright and vibrant and works great with the aqua and deep red we have working in the room.  Side note - aqua and deep red sound like a strange combination and honestly it kinda happened by accident, but they look wonderful together!  You should try it out!

Then I ran next store to Michael's and found the flowers on sale for 50% off which brought them down to $1.99 a piece.  Looking good so far!  I do need to go back and get more flowers to make the vase look more full.  So once I do that, I will have spent $21.89 on the flowers for a centerpiece total of $38.88. That definitely calls for a YIPPEE!

I have also been working on filling the three shelves I put up in the Grand Piano Room a few weeks back and yesterday I found this great metal sign at World Market.


In front of it is a tin from our favorite tea brand ~ Harney & Sons ~ so yummy!  So the tea tin was free and the sign was $12.99.  And now I have two shelves complete...


And one to go...

Doesn't it look so sad and lonely!  I will fill you soon little shelf, I promise.

So the running total so far:

vase $16.99
flowers $21.89
metal sign $12.99

TOTAL $51.87

Now my husband and I just have to agree on a wall color for the dinning room and we will be back to painting. 

Monday, April 11, 2011

Getting Started On The New Space

You may remember from this post that my mom has been working on buying a condo in Madison.  She closed on it last week and we spent the rest of the week shopping like crazy!  We have been to 4 furniture stores, a mattress store, our favorite antique store and the fabric store twice.  I'm exhausted!

The process of shopping for someone else's home is a challenge.  I mean unless they give you their credit card and say I will be back in a week do whatever you want (OMG can you imagine how fun that would be), you are working within someone else's vision and taste.  Which is not a bad thing, my mom should go with her gut rather than mine, she is the one who is going to live there!  But I tend to like more geometric patterns and they only remind her of dresses she wore in the 70's.  She is drawn to blues when I am drawn to greens.  And she selected richer tones when I was thinking more modern and neutral.  But I think (and really hope) I did a good job of letting her take the lead and just adding my opinion along the way.  I also think the space is going to look great!

So here is a little preview of what we have in the works.

My mom has a beautiful rug which she plans to use in the main living space so we set out to find a couch that would work with it.


We found this couch which is the perfect size for the space, very comfy as well as kid friendly.  The red it was displayed in was really red! You know, that red you get on your toes in the summer.  Great for pedicures...a lot for the main piece of furniture in a small space. 


So we decided to go for this more toned down red instead.
(The pic doesn't really show the true color, but it is a more orange & rich red then the one above, I promise!)

We also found a great two tone pedestal table but of course I forgot to take a picture, oops.  But it is from the same line as the bar stools we purchased a few months back.  Remember these?


Well, the table looks just like them...only round :)  The next item on the list was to select fabric for the headboard I will be making for the master bedroom.  This was more of a process.  We were initially leaning toward a light blue / grey fabric with a small pattern of the same color but once we found the couch we had to rethink that.  The condo is small so all the rooms do need to coordinate somewhat and the cool tones of the blues and subdued pattern were not working with the richness of the red.  So we went back to the fabric store and ended up with this.


I LOVE this fabric!  It was slightly outside my mom's comfort zone at first but I subtly talked her into it.  And I can't wait to work with it!  (I'm hoping there will be a little extra fabric for a pillow for me....sshhhh.)

So she still needs a coffee table, big comfy reading chair for the grandaughters' room and a home for the TV.  She is thinking about the this piece from Crate & Barrel for the TV. 


So it is a work in progress, but we are having a great time along the way!

And P.S. if you are following my $250 Challenge none of this is part of it.  Nothing better then getting to enjoy some shopping but not having to fork over the cash :) 

Saturday, April 9, 2011

A Sad End

Oh whoa is me, our bed has seen its end.  Yes, this bed...


The story begins a ways back.  We bought this bedroom set about 10 years ago.  It was one of our first big purchases as a couple.  We bought the king size bed, a double dresser and an armoir.  We shopped around and spent a good amount of money to buy quality.  And quality it has been.  The bed has survived ten years of 2 dog sleepers, 2 human sleepers and 5 moves...yes FIVE moves.  And honestly that is where the trouble began.  Each time we moved, took the bed apart and put it back together the screws were a little looser, the slats were lined up a little funkier and the whole thing got a little shakier. 

And then a few nights ago tragedy stuck, my husband and I were laying in bed and creak...creak...BAM!  We flew out of bed only to discover the top slat (of three) had snapped.  It was just holding on by a few splinters so we moved a storage box under it to support it and fell asleep.  We slept like this for a couple of nights, head lower then our feet and leaning toward the center.  Check it out...


We decided we would try and fix it this weekend.  And in the mean time I decided it was better to sleep with our feet below our heads so I flipped us around...


So last night I crawled into bed around 11 and after getting used to the new direction fell asleep quit comfortably.  My husband made his way upstairs around 1 after working diligently to find world peace (ok, he was playing video games...a little embarrassed by that.)  He got into bed and BAM, we were on the floor.  The bed was dead.

So we slept like this last night...


GHETTO! 

But we talked it over this morning and I think this is how it is going to stay for a while (I mean we will pull out the slats).  We don't want to run out and buy something cheap.  We want to buy another quality bed that will last us ten years.  And since credit cards are off limits we have to start saving up for it.  We also really need a new mattress so we are going into saving mode and are going to try and make both happen at once.  So when you close your eyes at night think of us on the floor patiently waiting for our new bed. 

So now I have to bid goodbye dear bed.  It has been a great ten years.  May you rest peacefully in bed heaven.
 

Thursday, April 7, 2011

$250?

(Let me first admit that this post was supposed to go up at the beginning of the month, but my mom arrived April 1st and we have been having fun around town so I am a little behind...sorry!)

A few months back I mentioned that my husband and I are living on cash only.  Let me first say that my husband works with money.  He is brilliant at what he does and he has been trying to get me to see the light for years, but I am embarrassed to say I have been resistant really only for the reason of denial.  Debt is easy to deny.  We have never been in crazy debt way over our head.  We have a good amount of savings and for the most part live within our means, but we have credit card debt.  (I feel like I am at an AA meeting right now.) 

So a couple of months ago I finally read Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover and I finally gave in to what my husband has been telling me all along...we need to pay cash for everything.  A totally reasonable, logical and terrifying idea!  But we are doing it!  We took our credit cards out of our wallets, wrote up a monthly budget and are pretty surprised by how easy it really is. 

But I will admit that I do slip in an extra pillow here or picture frame there and I have gone slightly over budget the last couple of months...ssshhhhh.  Which is why I am moving on to Dave's next step, the envelop system.  So basically we have budgeted $250 for my fun projects for April.  I have put $250 in cash in an envelop and I get to spend it until it is gone.  And then the scary part...when it is gone...it is gone.  No more for me until May!

We don't have any major projects to tackle this month so $250 should be plenty, right?  I want to work on the dinning room which means paint, some more plates for my plate wall and the plate hangers.  I also have a vision for the center piece on the table which will take some creativity to pull together on this budget.  Additionally, I need to finish my menu art project so I need a few more bulldog clips and menus.  And finish accessorizing the shelves in the living room.  (So many fun projects to share with you!) 

So the challenge is to do all of this for $250.  And if it can't happen for $250 then I guess it isn't happening this month.  So follow me over the next few weeks to see if I can pull it off.  Wish me luck!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Gutsy Neutrals

You might think that neutrals are boring, stuffy and what cautious designers end up with, but I think quite the opposite.  I am envious and endlessly impressed by my peers who know how to do neutrals.  I am not there yet.  I have not jumped into the pool of neutrals, but someday I will and I can only hope to achieve brilliance like this.

My fellow blogger Dana at House Tweaking makes my mind spin by her mastery of this art.  And she does it with kids in the house!  White + Kids = Guts!

Here are just a few pics but click here to see her full house tour.  



The textures, fabrics, and perfect placement of accessories make this simple color pallet bold and beautiful!



I drool over this bed every time I see it.  You just don't get any better!

Now check out Monique Keegan's home in Ohio.  Her home was featured on Country Living and it is wonderful.



So much richness in the wood flooring and desk!  The other cool tones are the perfect match.



This is her mud room!  I would die if my mud room was this pretty.  I would never actually need to walk into my house! 

Now most of these neutrals are focused on grey tones, but there is brilliant work out there with whites, tan and creams.  Candice from HGTV is the pro.  She melts neutrals together like they were meant to be.  I mean just look at this...



Candice, I want to be you when I grow up!  One of my goals is to experiment more with neutrals and learn how to do it right.  I will let you know when I make some progress!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Spring Has Sprung...somewhere?

It is April 1st and snowing / raining in Madison today.  I am so bummed about it I put my PJ's back on around noon.  So I am thinking I am in need of a little Spring pick-me-up and these inspired ideas did the trick...



Not sure this is the most functional use of a bench ;)  but don't the colors make you smile!



It's a bike planter!  What a great way to recycle!



Oh Pottery Barn, you make me dream of warm summer nights.  If I close my eyes real tight I am almost there. 

Happy weekend everyone!  And happy Spring!