Most impatient person ever = ME! Guest Room Reveal

Before:

Goldenrod yellow & oak trim. Not my style! 

After:

Obviously the room still needs a few finishing touches (probably should have ironed the duvet), but I just couldn't wait to share. I am planning on making some more pillows and some wall shelves to go to the right of the window. 

Breakdown of projects:

DIY Upholstered headboard: $52

DIY Duvet cover: $60 (and now I have two sets of sheets for the bedroom)

Painted Craigslist dresser: Already had it

White wall shelves: have materials, need to make

Paint: Ace Hardware - Cityscape $25

Trim & Door Paint: Behr Ultra White Semi-gloss - $20

Costs:

Bedside table: already had it ($30 at TJMaxx)

Lamp: already had it ($30 at TJMaxx)

Bed: $80 from Craigslist

Dresser: Already had it

Framed Art: $10 from Homegoods

Blue vase: $14.99 Homegoods (bought with GC)

Mirror: $24.99 Homegoods (bought with GC)

Candle holders: $.99 Goodwill

And there you have it. I will update pics as I continue to add more items to the space. Hope you like it!

Linking to the DIY Showoff

Paint Color Picks

I have been dreaming in paint colors lately. I decided to put all my picks on paper. Here are some of my favorites...

Glidden - Clear Blue Sky

Behr - Cloudy Day

Glidden - Cornflower Bouquet

Behr - Veranda Charm

Behr - April Mist

Glidden - Pebble Gray

Glidden - Smooth Stone

Glidden - Whispering Wheat

Martha Stewart - Sea Glass

Martha Stewart - Rainwater

Behr - Venetian Pearl

Berh - Palm Breeze

Behr - Antique White

Behr - Swan Sea

Glidden - Natural Linen

Behr - Down Home

Because we are currently in our "starter home", I have come to the conclusion that spending more money on this house (and this area) does not make sense financially. This doesn't mean I won't continue to make upgrades here and there and accumulate good deals on decor (nobody can stop me from doing that!). I am, however, going to start thinking a little bit more about our future home. Gather paint swatches, inspiration photos, and decor ideas that I can break out when the time is finally here! These paint colors are the start of that. You might notice that I love blue, greens, and grays. Some look a little cold, but in the right space with the right decor they can all be warmed up. I am dreaming of white moldings, cool paint colors, and comfortable fabrics, ahhhh.

Giving myself an "A" for Effort

I was so determined yesterday to come home with loads of great deals. I tried so very hard, but didn't succeed. Here is the list of stores I hit...

HomeGoods/TJMaxx

Michael's

Off Broadway Shoes

Pier1

Target

Hobby Lobby

Joann's

Kohl's

Gap

Gap Kids

J. Crew

Banana Republic 

Clarks Shoes

Taylor Shoes

Macy's

Stein Mart

Gordman's

Express

JCPenney

The only thing left in each and every holiday section were candles and individual ornaments. Very, very disappointing. I have learned my lesson (again) and will be out there at 6 am next year on December 26th!

On a more positive note, here is what I did pick up.

Trees from HomeGoods - $6 each

Linen placemat from target - $2 each

2 linen/gold napkins from target - $2

Silver ornaments - $1 each

"Baby Sleeping" Mirror with ribbon from HomeGoods - $3.50

That is it! 

I did try on some gorgeous black leather boots that were on sale for $119 (down from over $200). I am thinking about going back and getting them today, we'll see!

I was encouraged when I got home from my all day shopping trip. I checked the mail and found that my DH had requested requested a HomeGoods/TJ Maxx gift certificate as his reward at work (just for me!). I'll be sure to show you what I pick up with that, too.

Shopping Extravaganza

Today, I am going to bear the cold and head out to find some deals. I am looking for...

- Christmas decor (the very on sale stuff!)

Pier1

- Black riding boots

Victoria's Secret

- Work clothes

J. Crew

(Yes, I get to wear jeans to work!)

- Dog beds (or fabric to make my own)

- Mirrors for the guest room and my bathroom

- Bathroom light fixture

- Black flats

And my favorite thing...

- BABY STUFF!

No, not for me. One of my good friends told me last night that she is pregnant! Needless to say I am very excited for her and will be on the look out for some cute stuff today.

Wish me luck!

To-do's for the New Year

The short list:

- Finish painting oak trim/doors (trim in 2 bedrooms and living room, 4 doors)

- Make duvet cover for guest bedroom

- Repaint peg legged dresser for guest room and buy crystal knob pulls

- Stain/paint bathroom vanities and buy stainless steel hardware

- Finally hang new towel rack in bathroom

- Decide on paint color for kitchen cabinets!

- Paint kitchen cabinets and attach hardware

- Make stencil for "wallpaper" in office

- Organize all closets in house

- Find/buy new mirror for half bath

- Find mirror/artwork for guest bedroom

Resolutions:

- Obviously, lose 20 lbs

- Make dinner at home M-F

- Follow cleaning calendar

- Have more fun!

Deals, Deals, and more Deals!

This beautiful Nicole Miller Gate Comforter set retails for $249-$299 + the cost for all the gorgeous pillows. I saw the comforter set at HomeGoods this weekend for $49.99. 

Gold/Silver Pine & Berry Wreath from Z Gallerie - originally $65 and now $32

Green and Yellow Roses Pillow from Pier1 - originally $40 and now $10

(this would be perfect for a nursery!)

Super Soft Microfiber Sheet Set from jcpenney.com only $29.99 for queen.

I particularly love the Ogee Brown pattern.

I just might venture out into the crazy shopping scene today and if I do I will be sure to let you know what other deals I find!

This might be what we are in for...

Woke up this morning to an icy/wintery/snowy mess and thinking it might end up looking something like this... 

I am not very happy about it because we are going to be driving today, tomorrow, and Sunday to hit 3 of my husbands family Christmas's.

Hopefully we make it back safe on Sunday and blogging can resume!

Happy Holidays,

Bobi

Pottery Barn Leah Desk

I fell in love with this desk when I first saw it. I bookmarked it and go back to it every time I think about the current state of my office (not quite as tranquil as this one). I do have a piece of furniture that might be able to be transformed into something as beautiful. Here she is...

Excuse the computer junk. My mom picked this up for me at a garage sale a couple years ago (10 bucks!). I haven't done much with it yet, because I haven't decided where exactly it should go. I definitely think the metallic spindles will be the starting place. Color suggestions are most definitely welcomed! I will repost once the transformation is completed.

Orchid Love

Mine is looking a little sad lately, but I am determined to keep it alive! In my opinion, this beautiful flower acts like another piece of art in any room. It's height allows it to be used in spaces where other flowers wouldn't fill the space. If you find yourself longing for something to "fill up" space on a console table, bathroom vanity, or dining table...keep this in mind.

Someday, we will have a big decision...

When the time comes, I have no idea how I will choose. My sweet, darling husband is getting a taste of my obnoxious planning (needless to say, he thinks I'm crazy!). Although, this decision won't be made for quite a few years, I still find myself looking for house plans. Our next home will be our forever home and we will build it (I don't think my forever home exists out in the world, so I'll have to make it!). Here are 5 houses that I like (not love). It is hard to find one that has the right look outside and the right floor plan. My search will forge on and I will continue to update you as I find new "forever home" ideas. Thank you for bearing with me on this one..

In my dreams...

This is the office I would love to have someday. The desk alone would take up my budget for the entire room, but a girl can dream right? I will still use this mood board to put together an office someday. It might include some DIY projects instead of these expensive retail pieces.

Headboard Tutorial

Most have ooo'd  & awed over beautiful upholstered headboards at some point. Unfortunately, we don't have room for a big bulky headboard in our Master Bedroom. I had come to peace knowing that it just wasn't meant to be...

Centsationalgirl

But, then I remembered! We have a guest room! YIPEE!

So here is what I did...

Step 1:

Bought a piece of plywood at HD (60" wide by 48" tall for queen bed). I used a tape measurer to create the circular cut outs at the top because I didn't have a compass. I used a jigsaw to cut out the design.

Step 2:

I had some mdf board lying around that I used to reinforce the edges (makes putting the nailhead trim much easier). I screwed them onto the plywood and moved on to step 3. 

Step 3:

I bought one roll of 1 inch foam at Hobby Lobby. I filled in the area inside the mdf board with the foam and put down a little hot glue to hold it in place.

Step 4:

I bought queen sized batting at Hobby Lobby. This actually gave me enough to rap the headboard twice for some extra cushion. I used a handy dandy staple gun to attach the batting the back of the plywood.

Step 5:

Now it was time to use the fabulous fabric I found. It is important to make it really tight (my husband helped me with this). Once again I used my staple gun to attach the fabric to the plywood. You can't really tell in the picture but the fabric is beautiful and has a subtle metallic effect to it.

Step 6:

Now for the fabulousness, but be sure to watch out for your fingers! I bought nailhead trim (every 5 holes) on ebay. It was much cheaper than anywhere else and really gives the headboard some umph. I had read on multiple tutorials that it was hard to keep the trim straight. I didn't have a problem because I took a 2 inch nail that I used to measure from the edge every time I had to nail in one of the nail heads. It took about 45 minutes and tadaaaa!

Step 7: 

I was getting impatient at this point and didn't take pictures. We attached some wooden legs to the back of the headboard after we decided on the height that looked the best. 

Here is the finished project in a very non finished room (please excuse the bedding, I know it looks blah right now. I will update with better pics when the room is completely finished).

Cost of project:

Plywood from Home Depot: $13

MDF Board: Free

Foam from Hobby Lobby: $11.99 (30% off) = $8.50

Batting from Hobby Lobby: $13.99 (40% off) = $8.50

Fabric from Garden Ridge (2 yards) = $5.99 on sale for $1.99

Nailhead Trim from Ebay: $10.50 + 5.25 shipping = $15.75

Wooden legs: free

Staple gun: free

Staples: $4.99

Grand Total: $52.75