Guest Room Update

They've changed SO much - I must get new pictures. For now - here is the orange guest room - added the wrought iron piece on the side and moved pictures to the top - fun!

Old guest room

Enter idea I saw at Pottery Barn

Welcome to to the new guest room

So what did this have to do with that piece of wall decor? There it is! And it kind of goes with the swirly pattern on that PB pillow!

And on over to the corner where my favorite little chair sits - loves it

Green Guest Room Gets Wall Art

I finally got some good pics of a new project – wall art! For our wedding we had guests sign a piece of canvas that my sister had written a big M on! Then, 2 years later, my lazy butt had it put on wooden backers at a framers. Now, it hangs proudly in our guest room – I love looking at it. It’s about 3’x5’ – and I personally think it looks better in person!

close up!

farther away!

what do you think?!

New Chair for the Orange Guest Room

Oops! I never posted this beauty! Mom and Dev were up at the outlets and found this Pottery Barn Grayson chair ($500 in store) for $75. Yes. Crazy!! I love it, it's perfect for the orange guest room!!

Now I want two of them (in green) for the dining room... but not for $1,000..... Hmmm.

Another To-Do Down - Green Guest Room Pillow Purchased!

So the little black chair in my green guest room has been looking sad. I was back and forth on getting a throw or a pillow, but decided pillow. I thought ivory or green but decided green. I went to Z Gallerie and saw this baby (the green one!).

I loved it but it was $40. Ew. I noticed it was picked in a few spaces so I asked for a discount. She was like well... it's already 20% off. hehe Didn't notice that. But she gave me another 10% off so I got it for $28 - MUCH more my speed. Here's my iPhone pic... not as good, huh?

And here's the pic in the room! love it - think it fits so well!

Loving the Orange Guest Room!

I'm so happy with the way the bed turned out - and I love the bed side table/lamp! The rest of the room has a roll top desk in it - but it's not decorated and needs new hardware, and a 3-drawer chest - again not decorated and needs hardware! I also have three pictures ready to hang on the right wall! Maybe i'll do that tonight!! I think I want to get a little owl like my mom's to sit on the tray on the 3-drawer chest! I need to post that picture - I need help picking hardware!!

The 2nd Guest Room is Coming Together

Hope you like it! I love the bedding and lamp - and that little night stand is making me happy $50 later - woo! I'm also loving the shabby chic dresser with the linen runner - thanks for the mirror, Dev! I still need to:

• put pictures in the frames
• Borrow the black wicker chair from mom for the corner (will get this weekend!)
• Get a pillow for the chair and hang our framed wedding invitation over it (thinking a white pillow to brighten up the corner)
• Get our 'guest book' put on wooden backers so I can hang it on the wall by the bed (unless it's too big - in which case it will go somewhere else!)
• Get a new ceiling light - still deciding between a fan, normal light or pendant light!

Granite Update - and More!

So she came and was SUPER nice. She was really knowledgeable and I felt great about it. She brought samples and i'm definitely loving the baltic brown and one other - tan brown. She said they cost the same. We also discussed putting granite over the island (adhering it to the tile). She said she'd take it an inch over on all sides. She measured for it too and I asked her to line item it as we may not do it. We also discussed sinks - I hesitate to get one big one and am thinking of doing 60/40 or even 80/20 - we'll see! So it all went great!

Then I got the updated quote... first, she didn't line item out the island so it was A LOT (the island is about 9 square feet alone) and then the square foot price jumped up $4/foot for the tan brown. What? She said they cost the same. So... I wrote her back and hope to have an update tomorrow. I just can't decide about the island - I think I want to leave it as is... what do you think?

Other than that me and Austin:

• put together 2 dolce chairs
• put together a coffee table
• set up the seating area... can't decide if we like it - need help!
• installed a fan in the guest room (but don't have special bulbs so we couldn't put the light on)
• cleaned both bathrooms and did a load of laundry
• hung the M over the mantle and measured it for a TV
• hung the key rack thing by the door
• put together two bed frames
• installed the headboard and attached it to a bed frame in one of the guest rooms (love it!)
• made a new recipe (Sausage Rotini Pasta - LOVED IT!)
• found out that Reuben can get out of the backyard - eek!

Another great day! We're just plowing through this stuff - it's fun! I even made the coffee table by myself - woo!

Successful Getting-Stuff-Done Day

Austin met Ricky (hardwood installer) today and it went great! The wood is in the house, ready for Saturday at 7:30 a.m. when we need to meet them. Also, they offered to paint the shoe molding white (we were going to have to do it) so it's off of our list!

I got my checks with my new address - yay! And I went to Costco (thanks for the borrowed card, Stacy!) and bought two bed frames on sale for $84 including tax - not bad! Now we're ready for the guest rooms (kinda!). I also did our change-of-address online through USPS. Going good!

I still need to:

• call my credit card companies, magazines and bills (i.e. cell phone provider, etc.) to change my address formally.
• Go the library!
• pack some stuff and pack up the car for Austin to take it to Alpharetta tomorrow.

Lamp for "Green" Guest Room

I love this little lamp! When me and Austin went to Target yesterday for Euros we saw it and I thought it was PERFECT for the green guest room. It's $20, so not too bad, and I would want two to sit on each side of the green bed on these tables:

The tables are only $60, and we saw them yesterday and liked them. But they didn't seem worth $60. I know that's crazy - $60 is GREAT, but I dunno... I'm not totally 100% on them!

Successful Shopping Trip

So today me and Austin set out for the following:

• Target: for 4 euro pillows; wanted to see if they had them before we went to West Elm.
• West Elm: to use our $75 in cards before they expire.
• Ikea: to see some of the things online i'd been loving. In other words - to see if I loved them as much in person and if Austin loved them too!

We went to Target first - walked away with four Euro pillows for $10 each - woo! Had a gift card so $0 spent.

Went to West Elm next. Walked around. Fretted. Couldn't find anything we liked for the right price. Finally settled on two brown matted frames for $44 each (not a good deal but free, right?) We went to the front and they were sold out. Then they tell us about this deal on chairs - 50% off the display chairs on the floor. By this time, there's not many to choose from and we really liked two of them. They retailed for $300 and $200. They were on sale for $120 and $80. We told the guy we'd take them both if he'd do $150. He said sure and we got them both for $87 after our $75 cards - YAY! We got the car, drove it to customer pick-up and are now the proud owners of these:

We didn't get a cushion for the one on the left (they were $40... more than we ended up spending on the chair), but I figure it's a pretty standard size seat so i'll find one somewhere else. I'm thinking we'll use it in a guest room or as an accent in Austin's office. For the chair on the right, we think it's perfect for the built-in desk in the kitchen. Either way - we're PRETTY pumped about our new purchases. I'm so glad you and Dev are proud, Mom! Can't wait for you guys' help with decorating!

I Think I love This Lamp

So during lunch today I decided to forgo working out (funny thing with my back- like an uncomfortable twinge). Anyway, I went to Target and looked around and i'm pretty sure I found the sheets/bed skirts for the two guest rooms - yay! I didn't purchase but am going to go later this week with my pillows in hand to confirm that it's right. I also saw that they sold record frames for $10/pop. Not bad. Afterwards I headed to Wal-Mart for a little cost comparison and found out that Wal-Mart isn't much cheaper but seems much less low quality and nothing matched... so Target for sheets/bed skirt it is! When I left Wal-Mart I swung by World Market - Stacy had mentioned they have orange stuff. That's where I stumbled upon this cutie cute lamp - on sale for $27.99 (from $35)... then I went to retailmenot and printed out a 10% off coupon! So it will be about $25 before tax - woot! But again - do we like it? haha I'm thinking in the orange room of course - my favorite room to decorate. :) Here it is in the inspiration board... crazy that the background color matches! hehe FYI - the lamp is 27" tall.

Store Recommendations, Please!

So, not to dwell to much on the orange guest room, but here is what I have left to buy – please share advice on where to buy these things (on the cheap of course, but high quality – you know, the best of both worlds).

• Full size bed skirt – Bed, Bath & Beyond?
• Full size mocha sheets – Marshall’s? TJ?
• 2 Brown Cubes for end of bed – Target
• Round mirror for over dresser – Ikea?
• Lamp for dresser – Ikea? Or Maybe Pier 1?
• Something to put in birch sleeves – I have no idea!! I love the sleeves but need help!
• Hardware/items for refinishing dresser – Lowe’s or Home Depot
• Rust colored fabric (printed) for frames – Fabric Store
• Container for tall curly willow– Pier 1? Ikea?
• “Orange” Accessories – Target?

That’s it! And clearly #3, #7 and #8 are easy…. Any help with others is most appreciated!!

Cute Idea + Updated Orange Guest Room Board

So at the first Pottery Barn class me and Devie went to we walked around afterward and I took pictures of things I liked. One was this - I think it's SO super clever to add color to your walls by framing fabric (i.e. straight up fabric or a placemat or napkin, etc.).

So, the next visit to Pottery Barn yielded three of these huge brown, laquer frames ($40 each - on sale for $8 people - thanks for finding, Dev!). So, $24 later, I was the proud owner of three frames. They could go anywhere together in a home, clearly.


sorry the pic is so bad!

However, I got to thinking about the guest room (orange). I was originally interested in painting the wall behind the bed orange to add color to the room. But now, I want to frame orange fabric and hang these three over the new headboard!!! Thoughts?! Here is the updated inspiration board - it's really coming together what with the lamp I bought yesterday and the bamboo side table, etc.!! Yes, you'll notice the brown cube is back in. I just love them and am going to buy them for something so for now they're on this board. Depending on how large the room is i'll use them! AND I have a Target giftcard burning a hole in my pocket so there you go!

Click to make it larger!

And Then There were Two.... Plus 1!

So I FINALLY have two matching lamps for mine and Austin's matching bedside tables that we don't own yet. I'm getting there people. So after driving to MARIETTA (after Buckhead had only one in good shape and then Roswell Road had none...) during lunch today I found the lamp 'in the back' so it's in great shape and she put it together for me and even loaded it up into the PT. While she was putting it together I found another one - yay! It was originally $98 on sale for $50 as well so I got it, too, for the orange guest room. To me it's way cuter in person - the drum shade is like textured, very cool. I'm going to drop it in my board later!

One of These (the white background does it no favors so here is one taken with my iPhone so you can see the checkered detail better)

And Two of These (love them because of their shade and oh so cute adjustable arm)

Multi-colored Dresser?

Clearly - i'm not a fan of the dresser above. Very boxy - that color is SO green. However, i'm intrigued at this idea of painting the drawers a different color. What do you think?

Guest Room Refresh

Depending on the size of the room, this would be SUPER easy to do for the "green" guest room. If you remember - I wanted this room to have 6 vertical, black & white wedding photos framed (crate & barrel) - with 3 on top 3 on bottom JUST like this. So they basically used a dresser as a nightstand, and then hung this over. If you remember - I have that 3-drawer chest (currently in our master bathroom). I've been talking about resurfacing it (sanding it and either restaining or painting) and updating the hardware. I could do that as a nightstand and then hang the pics over it!! OR do that to the white piece in my closet... (another 3-drawer chest) - could just sand it and paint it black and put new hardware on it... Thoughts?!

P.S. I'm scared to mount a light like this though... Stacy had some good ideas for how to do it and have it look good though. Hmmm. If not I could do a floor lamp though, right?

Simple Setups that Look Sharp

So I love this! I love the simple knobs, the cute desk lamp, the small mirror and little pictures to the side. What a fun, simple (probably cheap) set up that looks SHARP! What do you think?!

Do We Like this Pillow?

I was thinking of putting one of these euro pillows on the green bedding in the green/black gueset room. Thoughts?

It's at Ikea for only $6.99! Could be because you think it's ugly though... I don't always trust my taste!

Orange-Inspired Guest Room: On its Way!

K – I’m bouncing back! I’m going to try to see 5 townhouses on Saturday when Austin is back… and maybe 1 or 2 of the other houses. No reason they should suffer, right? One could be the one for us. Anyway, per my amazing sister’s genius advice I’ve decided to write a do-over of the guest room post. Here goes! For the ‘orange-inspired’ guest room here is the updated board (click on it to make it larger!):

I now have: Ivory bedding with Ivory Euro shams and rust standard shams; the ivory/brown leaf pillow to sit in front of all of those pillows and the headboard! My mom has the double bed, too!I always had: the bird cage & a burlap chair cover. I also plan to use this hexagon bamboo night stand that is currently my bedroom night stand. I’m still deciding where the bird cage will sit – maybe it will hang? Genius Dev will come up with something!! :)

I still need:

Sheets: Full Set of Mocha-colored sheets; will look at TJ/Marshall’s

Bedskirt: Burlap or organic looking – taupe/jute; will look at TJ/Marshall’s

Paint: For the rust-colored splash wall

Accents: rust-colored accents for the desk and birdcage.

Lamps: An awesome lamp (still watching that one but it's still $130 at West Elm). Dev had a great idea –get one table size lamp for the end table (maybe this one?) and a floor lamp to sit next to the desk. I like it. Also, Also, I kind of want these lamps – one for the desk and one for the nightstand maybe? They're cheap. But they’re kind of small…. Hmmm.

Nightstand/Chair Dilemma: Dilemma solved! I want a Leather Parsons Chair for the sawhorse desk and a straight back dining chair (covered with the burlap chair cover ).

Petite Sawhorse Desk: The Ballard's sawhorse desk (Austin is watching the outlet; last time mom/dev checked they didn't have natural like I want above).

Mirror: Maybe a large one that hangs – depends on space. Will probably get at Ikea – saw some cute ones!

Thanks to Dev, I no longer need: two brown cubes for the foot of the bed, a second nightstand, this chair in the corner, etc. Thanks for saving me $$$$, Dev, and of course the fab help and ideas!!!

This Room is Shaping Up! But I need Advice (of course)!

I now have: BED: Ivory bedding with Ivory Euro shams and rust standard shams; the ivory/brown leaf pillow to sit in front of all of those pillows and the headboard! My mom has the double bed so really all that is left for me to buy for the bed is full size sheets (still deciding on a color - wanted rust but they sold out) and a dust ruffle (something burlap/organic looking).

I always had: the bird cage & the chair on the bottom right. I also plan to use this hexagon bamboo night stand that is currently my bedroom night stand (but it a little small for the master to me). Do you think it needs two night stands? I'm thinking no... hmmm where is that bird cage going to sit? The floor seems lame? The desk isn't big enough... hmmmm.

I still need: two brown cubes for the foot of the bed ($100 Target); an awesome lamp (still watching that one but it's still $130 at West Elm); the Ballard's sawhorse desk (Austin is watching the outlet; last time mom/dev checked they didn't have natural like I want above). Also, I want these lamps (two?) to sit on the desk - they're cheap. As far as accessories, I have plenty around the house that "go" with this room, and the new birch sleeves, and I know Mom/Sister could come up with some smart ideas with vase fillers/vases/stuff - they're brilliant! So that leaves the guest room with a full bed, an end table, two cubes for extra seating and a desk/chair. I think that's plenty, don't you? Thinking about being a guest, I think i'll definitely need to put a mirror somewhere. What do you think? And the sawhorse desk will have a TV on it because I plan to scrapbook on it and use the closet in that room (the bottom part) as my scrapbook closet and i'm going to have Austin get one of those wood pieces with wheels to sit my stuff on. Am I nuts? I mean, I know I am but does this make me nuts? Because it seems simply visionary to me but seeing it in writing it's slightly embarrassing, no?! haha K - off track.

Is there enough rust, i.e., orange color? Upon first glance, no.However, my master plan is for the bed that the wall is on (and the fab new headboard) I'll do a rust-colored splash wall (solid, no texture) behind it! I'll just take the sham to Lowe's like the commercial and have them whip me up a batch of paint! If I think it's necessary - i'll do 2 walls, but i'd rather just have the one wall and try to find some rust-colored accents for the desktop and maybe a rust-colored throw for the squares at the foot of the bed. Thoughts?

And if the guest room is big enough... What do you think about this chair in the corner? The chair in the neutral color.... I'm in love with it. And think it goes well with this room. By the way - in case you haven't noticed - i'm obsessed with this room and plan to spend lots of time in it! Also, if we are able to do two guest rooms (still have fingers crossed we'll be able to) this will be the bigger of the two - the green/black will be a smaller room... Thoughts??

K - I need help and I need it pronto. :) Loves!