Project Master Bedroom: Embroidered Throw Pillow

A small group of people start and finish a room makeover in a small window of time. However, most of us finish a room project in bits and pieces. I won't lie, the impatient, HGTV show lovin' self would like to be able to get my rooms done in a week with all the details just so. Who wouldn't? But that is not a reality for most of us.

Bits and pieces. Save up. Buy a little at a time. That is how most of us make over a room. So no more beating ourselves up or hiding our room projects away because they aren't 100% done. We are all in the same boat. So let us cheer each other on in our various stages of projectness (totally a word).

So here is my Project Master Bedroom update.

As I have said before, in the almost 14 years that we have been married this is the very first time we are getting a lovely master bedroom. We have done all the other bedrooms and have even done a guest bedroom but have yet to even paint our master bedroom.

I have a vision in my head of how I want this room to come together. Now thanks to new white doors and trim, a few coats of paint, and a hard-working husband who put up my board and batten focal wall I am that much closer to having a super lovely and cozy room.

With the big stuff done, it is just time to add here and there. Some of my wishes are things I have to save up for. A reading chair and white bamboo shades are two items on my wish list. So while I save up for a few big wishes I will tackle the bedding.

The main bedding we have had on the bed for over a year. I added the Flour Sack Euro Sham a few months ago. Recently I added just one more pop of blue, because you all know how I love blue, with this throw pillow.

I bought this textile from IKEA and I have been holding on to. I finally deemed it time to make it into a pillow. Instead of simply cutting out the fabric into two pieces and installing a zipper, I decided I wanted to add a little embroidery detail. I cut three separate pieces for the front. I sewed the three pieces together and then hand stitched with embroidery floss on either side of each seam before I sewed together the whole pillow.

Isn't it charming?

I recently had a friend come see my master bedroom progress. When she saw my bed, she said "I bet you love to make your bed every morning." I really do. I really, really do.

Thanks for hanging out with me for my Project Master Bedroom update. There are a few things still left to be done, but no promises on how soon I will get it done. The anticipation will be worth it right? Haha.

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His and Hers Nightstands

The Hubs and I have been married for 13 1/2 years. In all that glorious wedded bliss we have never had a retreat just for us. Our master bedroom was always the last on the list. We decorated main rooms, we decorated the boys' rooms several times. In two apartments, our first house, and over three years in this house our room has been a hodgepodge of randomness.

Well friends, we are all grown up and are working on our very own wedded bliss oasis FINALLY.

I have been sharing little bits of our #projectmasterbedroom on Instagram (@larissa_anotherday). We have changed the color and brightened up the trim and doors to a nice white. Our favorite part is our new board and batten wall with shelf. Of course I will show that in more depth soon; I have to do a couple of projects to wrap up before I can show you that.

The next favorite part of our Project Master Bedroom is that we now both have nightstands. Each nightstand is different yet coordinates with each other and the general style of the room. Both old and new elements. These nightstands happily flank either side of our bed. His and Hers Nightstands, if you will.

This is a post all about laughing in the face of the idea that nightstand have to be identical to each other. Okay so this post is really about two lovely nightstands that just happen to be on the opposite sides of our beds, hence the His and Hers Nightstands.

Let's start with the His Nightstand.

This is an old nightstand. We have had this since we first got married. This is a Target nightstand from just before Target got really stylish. They were a little stylish, just not as dreamy and irresistible as they are now. I decided it was finally time to spruce it up.

I painted over the laminate honey color with a lovely white chalk paint. Then The Hubs and I attached caster wheels to the bottom to give it not only height, but also a decorative detail.

This white little clock was under $3 at The Mart. I paired them with these great vintage readers, in of course my favorite color blue.

A simple white frame holds a candid wedding shot of The Hubs and I goofing off.

One of my favorite details of the His nightstand is this vintage gym locker basket. LOVE. 

This red lamp from IKEA is a favorite and gives a pop of color. Remind me to thank The Hubs for insisting it stay red (we were originally going to paint it).
 

That was the His nightstand. On to the Hers nightstand.

This is a new nightstand, also from Target but circa really stylish and irresistible (obviously). I love the glass door that allow me to show off some cute storage. The white plastic baskets are from Target. The metal bin is from The Mart.
 

Since I am the lover of blue and white, I accessorized my nightstand with a little more of those colors. I found this glorious bowl in the kitchen section of Target. Little design gems can be found anywhere, so think outside the box.

Instead of a colored lamp, I opted for this very traditional white lamp. We have had the lamp for years and year. I simply put a new shade on top.

After thrifting from around our house, I used this clock and some amazing blue books. These books have been sitting on our bookshelves since before Oldest was even born. Now they have found a new home on my nightstand.

There in all its glory is the Hers nightstand.

With these His and Hers Nightstands we are that much closer to completing Project Master Bedroom. I smile every time I see them. Hopefully I can show you the rest of the room soon.

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Pretty Pantry Makeover

Finally! It is time to share my Pretty Pantry Makeover. Can you see me doing a little jig? You are missing out.

I have given quite a few sneak peeks of my pantry redo on Instagram over the last month or so (follow me @larissa_another day, you know you want to).

Now the time has come for the reveal. Eek. I love reveals.

Our pantry door is actually a glass door. It had a frosted window design that had the word Pantry on it, among other designs. I was not a fan since we moved it.

I got the notion to make it a chalkboard. I was a little worried about painting over the glass with chalkboard paint. However, I used Rustoleum Chalkboard paint and it covered like a dream. DREAM. I followed the waiting and curing time to the letter. Then I actually waited like another week just to make sure.

Once the door was seasoned, I sharpened my piece of chalk and did my best first-time-chalkboard-writing.

The door just gets you ready for the organizational glory within.

I also just want to state that I have kept the inside this organized and pretty for over a month.

With that being said, on to the reveal of the inside.

I organized the inside with baskets, jars, crates, tubs, and trays. Some I had, some I purchased.

I also have a shelf just for pretty things, like my cake plate, a few of my many white bowls, and these delightful little crystal dessert bowls that I got at Ikea.

These are baskets I have had for years. They are on the top and hold treats, cake decorating supplies, and snacks.

For the bottles of oil, vinegar, and boxes of partially eaten pasta I used these crates that I painted white.

I have a whole shelf dedicated to baking supplies. Tins for some things like vanilla, cocoa, and powdered sugar. Then jars for the things like sugar, flour, and oatmeal.

I also have my Breakfast Central tray setting on one shelf.

These new plastic buckets are my favorites. I found them at Target in the bathroom organization section. Yup you heard me, bathroom. They hole school lunch makings.

In order to have a place for jars and cans, I put a small crate in there.

One more shot of the jars, which can be found at The Mart and Target.

Just to end this little reveal here is another shot or two of my new chalkboard pantry door.

In a Nutshell: Housiversary, Preschool, and Pears

2012

We have now had our 1 year Housiversary.

The year has been quite eventful. Most notably, the addition of a child.

We have had a wonderful year and have all adjusted well to our move. We have spent the year filling our new home with memories and making it our own. We are still in the process of hanging pictures up...not kidding folks, I still have many a bare wall. However, we have done redone four rooms...all while I was LARGE with child.

Our boys love our new home and have made many friends. Our neighborhood is just marvelous and the best if I do say so. I can't believe how much they have grown in this last year.

2011

Crazy right??? Did anyone notice that Little doesn't look like he has grown much...hahaha. We are still waiting for him to hit is growth spurt.

This week was also the first week of school. Not just for the older two, which I wrote about HERE, but also for Little.

We haven't done a legit preschool before. I was always on the fence about that fact that I was able to do it at home weighed with the cost that preschool can have. For many reasons, we decided preschool would be a good thing for Little.

He has been so excited and was quite disappointed that he didn't get to start school the same day as the older two.

On his first day he was super duper excited.

He got his very own first day of school photo shoot via Mom.

He wasn't very happy about it at first.

He was upset that I was cutting into his preschool time.

He perked up quickly when I told him just a few more and then we would head off to preschool.

I got to go with him for the first day, and let's just say I was amazed and astounded at the very lovely preschool he is able to go to.  I am happy to know the teacher, happy that it is so close, and happy that he has his very bestest friend in class with him.

I am so excited for him.

With 3 out of the 4 starting school, I was looking forward to some extra quite and peace this week. I even thought for a minute that I might get to sit on my fanny for a minute.

False.

I forgot that I had 40+ pounds of these lovelies.

When I canned peaches a couple of weeks ago with my mom and sister, my mom informed me that canning peaches was no big deal, it was pears she hated to can.

Really, I thought. Worse than the sticky mess that was canning peaches?

TRUE!

Who would have thought it. They were worse.

I may never want to peel another pear. Well at least until next summer. I think that will be enough time for me to have repressed the memory.

Over two days and with the help of my magnificent husband we turned all those pears into 80+ pints of canned goodness.

I can definitely say that the result was worth the trouble.

I love seeing my growing supply of canned goods. They taste better than store bought and they are cheaper. Plus there is something to be said for seeing all those jars and saying, "Dude! I totally did that!"

Have a marvelous Sunday!

Guest Room Reveal

Our guest room has been done for a couple of weeks now. It has even had it's very first residents. I was so happy to even have an extra room to hold guests. Then I was even more excited when it became a possibility to redo the room into it's very own special and beautiful space.

I hemmed and hawed forever about exactly what to do with this room. My choice in how to redo the room finally came down to one major thing-WHAT DO I ALREADY HAVE? Basically what can I do to make the room cute by mixing what I already had and what I could find that was affordable.

Everything fell in to place when I decided to use this homemade quilt that Hubby and I got 10 years ago as a wedding present.

Then we found the black iron bed frame at IKEA. $149 people!!! I got all the rest of the bedding at The Mart. Really if you can overlook that you are actually at The Mart, it is one of the cheapest places to buy things for home decorating. Especially if you can think outside the box.

I had the black and white pillows from a previous couch. Then I just bought some fabric that I thought looked vintagey and farmhouse fresh, and I made some extra throw pillows.

I can't go without adding some plates to a wall. I know it is a sickness. Alas, I love how it looks so there will probably always be plates on my walls.

The curtains are two white flat sheets hemmed and hung on a simple white curtain rod.

I gathered up a lamp and clock we already had. Added the simple white teapot that I found at Ross. I spray painted an old TV stand a sunny yellow and turned it into a nightstand. I wasn't super thrilled with the paint coverage on the top so I used some scraps and sewed a tiny cloth covering for the top.

I added one simple frame that we had to the wall. Painted yet again another plate...that we had and hung that up. Then We hung up a mirror, again that we already had.

I am just about in love with this room.

Seriously, it is nicer than any or our master bedrooms have EVER been.

I could seriously just walk in this room and stare at it all day. Love. Love. Love.

The Inside...You Asked For It

Welcome to our home. We have really enjoyed this home so far...I am sure living in a hotel for over 30 days had nothing to do with it...wink, wink.

As I said yesterday, I decided to swallow my pride and give you a glimpse inside before we are done getting it ready. Since I am still a little paranoid, I am only showing you some of the first floor...AND I might be making commentary about what is changing...so hang in there...

Okay so this room is right as you come in. Notice, no pictures hanging up. For now they just sit out. Also the stenciling you might have seen on the arch will be going bye-bye.

Right as you come in is what we are making the formal dining room. AGAIN, nothing is hanging up. My poor mirror is so sadly sitting on the floor. We got a rug and I am hoping for curtains sometime.

Ahhhh, the kitchen. Gotta.to.LOVE. all that space. Does anyone notice the DOUBLE OVENS? Yippee-iy-oh-ky-ay. We are waiting on some bar stools for the counter and for an eat in area...will show that later.

I have never really shown our bedroom on the blog before because it is yawn-errific. It still lacks a little in decoration, but it is a great room. We love it. Fun fact: the first night we stayed in the room I laid in bed, turned off the light, and then saw something glowing on the ceiling above me...

The previous home owners had left them self a glow-in-the-dark reminder on the ceiling that said CELL PHONE...of course to remind herself to charge her cell phone. You can't see it during the day so no big deal for now...BUT I will have you know it has not helped me remember to charge my cell phone once.

Littlest's room is the most done boys' room. HOWEVER, it does need a paint job. I really want to paint it a softer chocolate brown with an antique white board and batten accent wall where the changing table is....we will see how long that takes me.

One of the best things about this house is all the STORAGE. Closets galore. I mean for reals people. The home owner did an AH-mazing job at putting shelves everywhere. We currently don't even have enough stuff to fill said shelves.

Glorious, right?

Okay my friends, that will have to tide you over. I am excited to share more with you as it comes. I am really excited for Oldest's new room, but were as it is currently HOT pink and will need short of a truck load of primer to fix...it might be awhile till I get that all done.

Off to get more done around the house.