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It’s been a real busy month! Refer here to see all the before and “semi-after” pictures of our house. We are nowhere near done, but it’s getting there at a snail’s pace. Notice there are still no pictures of the upstairs, aside from Ethan’s Room? That is because the rest of is just not even acceptable at the moment. Wait until I show you pictures of the master bathroom….Another post for another day!
Breakfast Area breakdown —The BIG projectthis month was refinishing the kitchen table. I had bought a real worn down solid oak pedestal table off Craigslist. I literally spent a week sanding it down (thank goodness for my electric sander!), priming it, painting many coats of black, and finishing it off with about 4 coats of polyurethane. Even though it was a TON of work, I think it turned out great and I am very proud of it!
—Bought cross-back chairs to match the newly refinished table
—I sewed chair pads and a table runner
—Bought a hutch from a thrift store.
—Lined the back of the hutch with fabric (matches the runner and chair pads) to make our dishes and accessories stand out more. Hung the fabric with a special cornstarch recipe so that it will come off easily, if we change our minds down the road. Won’t ruin the furniture OR fabric. Let me know if you want the “recipe”!
—added a vinyl monogram to an old platter. I used my Cricut machine to make it. You can see it in the 2nd to last picture What is left to do —finish organizing and accessorizing the hutch. I will most likely put picture frames on the serving area.
—eventually get a rug, when our kids aren’t prone to spilling things everywhere (in like 15 years!)
Family Room Breakdown
—Added the rest of the sectional to break up the rooms
—Hung artwork (we already owned it)
—changed out the lamp shades (found at Target on clearance!)
—replaced one of the lamp bases ( found at a thrift store)
—added several milk glass vases to the mantel (found at Goodwill, of course)
—lined part of entertainment unit with fabric to hide all the A/V equipment
What is left to do
—add a light fixture to the ceiling (found a great chandelier at our local Re-Store, just need to hang it)
—do something about the wires behind the entertainment unit.
—make window treatments ( just need to figure out what kind. Maybe valances?)
Laundry room breakdown
—painted a sage-y green (Canopy Stripe by Valspar)
—new front loading washer and dryer (yay!)
—accessories: framed picture, baskets, and door wreath (all repurposed items)
—“laundry” sign above door (I made that with vinyl on my Cricut machine)
What is left to do
—more organization, including an ironing board/iron hanger
—I plan to build risers for the washer/dryer to lift them higher off the ground
—need a way to disguise “clutter”
Our entryway breakdown
—Hung a white shelf above deacon’s bench (found the shelf at a goodwill…already painted!)
—added 4 hooks to the shelf (found at Target on clearance)
—spraypainted the mirror Heirloom White (we already owned the mirror. It was an awful color!)
—Hung decorative items from hooks (found at a consignment shop. Garrett thought the hooks would be for practical purposes….you know, coats, bags, etc. Um, is he crazy? We need those hooks for an empty metal flower bucket and a circle of silk roses) What is left to do
—give the bench a fresh coat of paint
—replace the pillow or recover the seat
Foyer Table breakdown
I realize this is an insignificant part of our house, but I smile everytime I see it.
—we replaced the awful vase with cute metal birdcages and of course, a bird. (I found the 2 metal
birdcages on Craigslist, but they were a really oppressive dark metal. I spraypainted them Heirloom White.)
—inside the larger birdcage is a small wreath I found at a thrift store.
—added a milk glass vase with silk hydrangeas (found both at a thrift store)
—adorable white bird is from Michaels (on clearance, of course!)
—hydrangea print above table is from Marshall’s (again, on clearance:)
What is left to do
—nothing really, but knowing me, I will redo this area in about 6 months.
Living Room Breakdown
—We didn’t do much, but what we did has already made a difference!
—Repainted an old mirror and hung above the couch (heirloom white, of course!)
—added the shelf above the TV and put random stuff on it, including a birdcage that I spraypainted (guess what color? haha)
—Replaced the lamp shade with a drum shade (found at Goodwill for 2.99…. SAME lampshade sells at Target for $24.99!)
—coffee table found on Craigslist. I plan to paint it, but again, not sure what color scheme we are going for in this room.
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What is left to do
—replace the couch. We want a gray one. Eventually.
—repaint the mirror in something bolder. Not sure yet.
—pretty much everything. This room is a “catch-all” at the moment because it is connected to the playroom. Once some of the toys are removed, we will worry about doing it. Until then, it will be a random assortment of crap.
Playroom (aka Dining Room) breakdown
—Hung ribbon and clothespins to display artwork
—Hung “new” chandelier with shades (okay, I will admit, we got this chandelier out of our neighbor’s trash. We are officially trash pickers. However, it was perfect, nothing wrong with it. Not sure why they threw it away and it was certainly better than our brass one! Just don’t tell our neighbors…
—Hung some artwork. Each kid did a finger painting right before their first birthdays and we framed them. Cute, huh?
—labeled each toy bin so that the kids (I mean, the parents) could put toys back in the appropriate spots.
What is left to do
—eventually turn this back into the intended dining room. Oh wait. That won’t happen for at least 5-6 years.
—Glue those darn train tracks together. They are always left in a heap. I can’t figure out how to put them back together for the life of me. Looks pathetic.
—Teach the kids how to clean up after themselves.
So, that is what we have done over the past month or so. I am exhausted!
Hayley Crouse is a wife, mother and multifaceted designer. Her love of sewing, crafting, cooking and interior design infuses her daily life and naturally spills over into her online presence. She pushes the envelope of her creativity and hopes that others will be inspired to do the same. She currently authors the Welcome to the Mouse House Blog, is the pattern designer behind Mouse House Creations and is a collaborative designer with Willow & Co. Patterns.
I am BEYOND impressed!! I worked in the design field for many years — and this tops a lot of what I saw over-paid designers do. You seriously need to market yourself! Beautiful work! 🙂
Our entryway breakdown
Your house is beautiful!!
How about this to hide your “clutter” in the laundry room ….
http://www.younghouselove.com/2007/11/spin-city/
Thanks Maureen! I just checked out that link and I remember reading about that a while ago…perfect idea! Thanks for the idea!
I LOVE your house. You’ve done a great job! You’ve definitely given me some ideas!
Jen (JenSpott07 from Babycenter)
I am BEYOND impressed!! I worked in the design field for many years — and this tops a lot of what I saw over-paid designers do. You seriously need to market yourself! Beautiful work! 🙂
Wow, thanks for the comments! They really mean a lot to me and I truly appreciate it….We worked so hard for all of this and we are really proud 🙂
Buena tu página, con estilo…
http://yaracuydescubre.blogspot.com/
oh my…when I get a house I’ll use yours for ideas! love all the work you did! thanks for sharing
Laina,(Nirah0325 from BabyCenter)