cutest little farmhouse

last month i had a much needed girls weekend with my bestests. we sipped coffee, wine, soup, and more coffee and chatted about everything.

we got together at my friend Lindsey's (Lu) new farm house and it was so exciting talking about the future of the house and all of their design plans for it. with the kids out of the house and all of us twiddling our thumbs itching to do something creative we decided to make the most of it. and what was on the menu? PPG Aloha of course.

lu is not afraid of many things, and color is definitely not on that list. when i saw this color, knowing her and her families personality i was smitten - it was absolutely perfect and I could not wait to dive in on this paint job!

here is a view of the Living Room before....

and the same view after!

and another before.

and the same wall after.

isn't it lovely? don't you just want to create in this space and then stop for a sip of tea or an intermission dance party?

i am so happy for Lu and her family. i think this change of pace is exactly what the doctor ordered!  best of luck Lu and the rest of your beautiful family in making the most of this wonderful experience and creating beautiful memories in your new home.

i love you doll.

Family Room Sneak Peeks

The Family Room has made MAJOR strides since we have moved in. It is probably the most changed room in the house with the change in the mantle and the top to bottom paint job. just to remind you where we started here are some before shots.

i am still putting the finishing touches on this space (and Christmas Decorations) so I don't have any wide shots to share, but I do have some detail shots!

*this picture (above) is probably the best representation of the paint color in real life. I feel it has the perfect balance of navy and gray tones. i did not want anything too saturated or too black/gray. it is the perfect mix! Cavalry by Porter.

a little bit holiday library

today i am sharing our library, which happens to be the only festive space in the house other than our front porch. i was really excited to do a lot for the holidays this year but with the unexpected loss of my nana and spontaneously redoing the family room, things just haven't panned out. with that being said i am really happy with how our library is looking!

 

DIY//Ottoman Pouf

i have been wanting to make an ottoman/pouf for who knows how long.  friday i spent some time pinning other diy ottomans in search of a swift kick in the a** inspiration.  saturday during wren's nap time i felt the need to get crafty, i opened my craft closet, and much to my delight i had all of the supplies i needed to get to work on my ottoman!  i was filled with pure delight.  why hadn't i already done this?

and best of all, i completed all but clean-up during nap time, this took less than two hours folks!

and did i mention FREE, zippo, zilch!!!!

first things first; gather your supplies.

-scissors

-sewing machine

-pins

-thread in your color of choice//i used white

-fabric (approximately 1 yard)//i used leftover kravet fabric from a client project(make sure it is upholstery weight fabric)

-velcro//i used black

-foam//i used 2"

-batting or down//i used a combination of both

step 1

lay out your fabric with the right side facing down.  trace two circles to desired size//i used an 18" table top.  cut out your circles at least 1" outside your trace mark

step 2

hem one of the circles, set aside for base of ottoman

step 3

measure how tall you want your ottoman and cut fabric accordingly.  you will want to cut it about 6" larger than desired height//i made mine taller than my sofa seat to make up for the "give" when placing your feet on top.  it is surprisingly pretty sturdy, so you definitely do not have to do this.

i just cut a long strip at desired height x length of fabric.  

then hem one of the long sides of the strip

(sorry no photo)

step 4

pin the circle that you did not hem along the other long side of the strip (the side you did not hem), then sew.

sew the ends of the strip together to close up the ottoman.  remove any excess fabric

step 5

turn fabric right side out

step 6

cut out a circle in your foam, same size as top and bottom of ottoman.

place inside ottoman, push snuggly to top.

cut a strip of foam to desired height of ottoman minus 2"

place inside of ottoman

step 9

get to stuffing!

i first filled mine with batting, and TONS of it!

step 10

i actually then shoved a down filled eurosham in mine.  it game me the weight and firmness that i needed.

other options would be more batting or more foam circles.

(sorry no photo)

step 11

remember how i told you to cut your strip for the sides 6" longer?

well you used up 1" or 2" when sewing the top on, and 1" or 2" when hemming.  the rest will be used to attach the bottom.

take your hemmed circle and attach velcro to wrong side

i definitely recommend sewing the velcro to the circle

step 12

pull the hemmed end of the sides taught to the bottom and attach the circle that you just applied velcro to.  once in place i recommend hand sewing the velcro to the sides.

now when it needs washed you can just pull apart the velcro and it is washable.

VIOLA!

love it or hate it.

i tried to find some bright interior spaces that were a bit out there.  others opinions of lovely interiors always interest me.  

so what do you think, love it, or hate it?

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#8

Marble.

Saturday I had a haircut, and afterwards, I felt like I needed to get "out" for  a bit.  There is an antique store, Ferdinand Antique Emporium, about 15 minutes down the road, so I headed that way!  I went there in hopes to find nighstands for our Master Bedroom.  As I mentioned before, I need nightstands with storage.  I found this beaut, but it did not solve my storage problems.

So I continued to look, I definitely found some possibilities, but completely out of my price range.....

Loved this, but have no need for it and no pocket book to support it.

(Don't mind Wren and I's reflection in the mirror.)

I also saw this.

and this..

none of which came home with me.

Then, the Pièce de résistance!

Solid Marble top, amazingly beautiful carvings, GASP!  In love.

I snapped these pictures while in the store, and when the hubby came home I told him ALL about it.  He could not believe that I came home empty handed.  Back to the store he went, and brought it home for me.  Oh I love him so much, I think he is a keeper:)

We snagged it for only $80bucks and it is in impeccable condition!

And here it is, back at home...FOREVER(in my best Sand Lot voice)!

Don't mind my messy house, I was sick all weekend:(

And when we got home from the store, we had a little package from Fedex....

Inside, these lovely glittery boots for Wren!

Thanks Heidi, you are the BEST!