Weekend Projects

    

Today, just a few random updates of what's going on around here. . . 

    

    

    

The chalkboard paint under the counter is all finished with the exception of a few touch-ups.  I'll share more about this process later in the week. 

    

And, in a last minute decision, I went with Benjamin Moore's "Silver Chain" in our bedroom.  I read every one of your helpful suggestions on Friday, and the comment that kept sticking in my head was the reader who said it looked blue.  I eventually agreed and went with a grayer gray.  I'm very happy with the result.

I've also been moving furniture around and have decided to part with a pair of these tufted chairs.  I bought them with the intention of reupholstering them, but it's just not on my priority list right now.  I plan to list them on Craiglist this week, but if you're local and interested, email and let me know.

What did you work on this weekend?

Thoughts on Motherhood (and the Giveaway Winner)

                   
This weekend, our baby turned two (although she insists that she's still one. . . ).  We had a small celebration in honor of the milestone.

I often get emails asking for advice on how to run a business when you're a busy mom.  Here's my best advice:  focus on what matters and let go of the rest.  (I'm still learning this, by the way.)  For me, this means a $3 box of ready-made Elmo cupcakes and a small family party for our two-year-old who won't remember a second of it, in the long run. 

There's so much pressure on moms--especially when it comes to birthday parties--to out do each other and come up with bigger and better every year.  If this is your thing, more power to you.  I've personally had enough of feeling guilty over something that doesn't really matter.  We get guilted into doing all kinds of silly things that our kids could care less about.  And, it's exhausting to try and keep up.

So, as I said, I'm learning to take my own advice of letting go of the unimportant stuff.   That may mean biting my tongue if a shirt and pants don't match, if someone doesn't want to wear a hairbow, if my four-year-old decides to (fake) tatoo her forehead. . . . It's definitely a daily challenge.

Back to the green cupcakes. . . .The birthday girl loved them as much as any specialty cake or elaborate party :) Which is what matters, afterall.

    

Thanks for reading my weekend rambling. .  . . And, now for the pillow giveaway from Absolute Fabrics and Home:

Congrats, Allison!

Our Master Bedroom: Picking the Perfect Gray

        

Our master bedroom is getting painted this weekend and because I've been busy focusing on client projects rather than my own humble abode, I've waited until the last minute to choose my paint color.  No huge statement color in this room.  I know that I'm sticking with some shade of gray, for a nice neutral backdrop. 

Here were the original contenders (Pelican Gray, Winter Solstice, Sterling, and Marina Gray--all by Benjamin Moore):

    

If you have any experience with grays, you know they can be tricky.  There's gray-gray, but there's also blue-gray, lavender-gray and even a taupey-gray.  It can make a girl crazy (especially when time is running out before the painter gets here. . . ).  In this case, I think I've decided on "Winter Solstice."  It's soft without too much of a blue undertone.  I think it will be a nice contrast to the dark wood bed and white nightstands. 

    

I also have these peacock blue drapes to contend with, which is why I was trying to stick to a true gray:

Funny, don't my walls look kind of gray already in this picture?  They're actually a really sad, flat, tan color, courtesy of our builder.

So, back to the winner, "Winter Solstice" . . . I Googled it and found some pretty examples of rooms painted in this color:

above images by South Shore Decorating via DecorPad

    

Elle Decor

    
    
There's also the trey ceiling to think about.  While I love the asparagus shade on this ceiling, my boring sensible side tells me to stick to another gray on the same color card. 

image via HGTV Rate My Space user Karen Spirit

         

After all, if I happened to get sick of looking at a yellow-green ceiling in six months (or six weeks), then it's literally hanging over my head, bugging me to death when I should be sleeping. (I know decorating decisions do keep some of you up at night; that's why I feel okay rambling on and on about this . . .)

I'm also thinking a gray color palette on the walls will make it easier to add fun color on the bed from time to time. 

    

    

So, it's settled.  (Of course, if anybody has a last minute "perfect gray" recommendation, I'm all ears.)

    


PS--Welcome to my newest sponsor, Kassapanola! 

It's a great Etsy pillow shop, and there's a special 20% discount code just for readers of my blog.  To receive the discount, enter ECBLOG at checkout.

If Only I Needed Another Mirror. . .

    

I would buy this one:

    

It was designed by Ty Pennington and is available here.  It also comes in silver leaf:

It's big, and I would love to use it somewhere, sometime. . .

And, it's a great alternative to this beauty I spotted hanging in designer Kerrie Kelly's powder room on Houzz:

(This image also solidifies my decision to re-paint "the yellow powder room" dark gray.  I've been on the fence for a while, but I just fell off.)

Pillow Giveaway from Absolute Fabrics and Home

    
    
Today, one of my fabulous sponsors, Absolute Fabrics and Home, is sponsoring a wonderful giveaway. 

The winner gets his/her choice of one of these two pillows:

    

(You know I'm partial to sea creatures, but this bamboo pillow is pretty fun. . . .)

    

Which one would you select? To enter, leave a comment letting me know.  I'll choose a winner at random this Saturday, Feb. 26th.

And, don't forget to browse Absolute Home and Fabrics to catch a glimpse of their showroom and to see more great items.

Recovering Lamp Shades: A Photo Tutorial

         

Thanks to everyone for your nice comments and emails about yesterday's master bedroom post.  I was overwhelmed by the response.  I also received lots of inquiries about specific sources.  While I'm always happy to share sources for any projects I do in my own home, it's a little trickier when it comes to sharing sources I use in a client's home.  When someone hires me, they're basically paying for my ideas (and info on where to find what I recommend).  I've tried to address some of the main source questions but if I haven't answered something specifically, please understand it's only out of courtesy to my clients.  (And, well frankly, it keeps me in business!)  Thanks for understanding. . . .


Okay, now that that's out of the way, I will share a little photo tutorial of the process of covering those lampshades with the gray DwellStudio fabric.  I've never posted an official how-to on recovering lampshades, but you can find some helpful links here and here.


And, my client was nice enough to provide step-by-step photos:

  

Since we didn't a want a trim, she started by removing the banding.

    

She added an extra layer of white (with fabric spray adhesive) because the cream of the original shade was showing through the gray fabric when we tested it out.

Fabric glue to attach fabric to inside of shade . . .

Ta-da! Such an easy way to customize a simple lamp and a great way to bring more pattern into your space:

A Client's Master Bedroom Makeover

            
    
I was able to take some photos over the weekend of a master bedroom project I just finished up.  The clients are newlyweds and had been living with her childhood furniture and dark purple walls.  They wanted a relaxing retreat with grown up furniture and fabrics.

This is how the room looked when we started:

    

And, this is how the room turned out:

    

    

    

I think the bedding ended up being my favorite part of the room.  We had it custom-made using a pretty assortment of fabrics from Robert Allen's line for Dwell Studio. 

    

They wanted a really soothing color on the walls, so we went with "Going Gray" by Olympic Paint. We used the next color down on the paint card and painted the ceilings "Volcanic Ash."

The client liked the idea of a small sitting area in the bedroom.  Due to space limitations, we opted for this long bench that I found at a consignment store and placed it in front of the windows.  She painted the legs a dark gray and recovered it in one of the same fabrics we used on the bed.

You see who actually ends up using this window seat the most. . .

    

We used the IKEA Malm chests for nightstands and added some pretty chrome pulls to dress them up.  Above the nightstands, we framed photographs from places they visited on their honeymoon.

 

      

To save money, and maximize storage, we kept the armoire from her bedroom set.  

We painted it a deep blue-gray and used my favorite shiny knobs from IKEA. We also accessorized the top to add height.

 

  

Thanks to Julie and Brad for letting me share your room!