What has been taking most of my time...

I told you there was a reason why I hadnt been blogging much lately and here are the pictures to prove it. First I started working on some more window mistreatment's for my kitchen doors with the help and inspiration from Nester. I wanted something to warm up the kitchen, but much more than that needed something to shield the sun in the mornings. It can be quite blinding and hot in the summer time. I was lucky enough to find the same fabric that I used on the kitchen chairs at Joann's and it was 40% off! I wanted to do some sort of roman shade look but wanted something to add a little more fun, so I dug through my closets and found these panels that were left behind when we moved in. It just so happened to match perfectly and it was FREE! I took my 50% coupon and purchased some trim for it, glued it on and presto! I bought some blackout liner to line the shades and unfortunately had to sew the hems by hand for the shades because the glue was bleeding through. I must learn how to use a machine...argh! Once I did that though I was able to glue the liner onto folds of the hems. This way no bleeding and it saved me so much time. I used my trusty safety pins again to get the folds for the roman shades and hung them with upholstery tacks. I got some metal rings and hung those with tacks as well since the left side of the door doesn't operate and we wont be moving these panels back and forth. It gives me the look I want without the cost of a rod, etc. Here is what I ended up with.

I also made this for above my sink. I had a linen store bought valance up there from Target and it had faded to almost white from the hot sun pouring through the windows. I should have known better...word to the wise...dont use cotton, linen or any other natural material where you have lots of sun coming in. It WILL fade your fabric very fast. Instead use a synthetic...polyester, nylon, viscose, etc. I need to add some trim to add some more flair, but havent gotten around to it yet. My glue will assist me with this yet again!

My dining room was next. Mom ordered some panels and tassels for me from Saro Trading Company. I just love their stuff, it is so affordable and they have some really fun stuff. I used to order from them when I worked at the store and now Mom carries it in her shop too. I was a little nervous picking things out from a picture since I couldnt match it exactly but it ended up working out great. I think this was just what I needed to add a little to the valances that Mom had made me.

On the weekend that Connor came down with the flu, my husband who is always ready for the next project said "Well, what home improvement project do you want to get into since we are stuck inside all weekend?" We decided to start on Connors big boy room instead of paying someone to paint it like originally planned. I wasnt sure what I really wanted to do before I started other than use blue and brown since it matches the bedding that we bought. I

have looked everywhere for a plaid bedding that would go with a golf theme bedroom that I liked and had come up with nothing. On a trip to the mall a couple of weeks ago, I decided to go into JCPenney's and look since I hadnt looked there yet and found a twin bed set on clearance for $50! I based the paint colors off of that and then came up with the golf ball design myself. I wanted it to be random and wasnt sure exactly how it would come out even though I had the look in my head. When I told Brad about it, he was really unsure but I decided to go for it anyway. I used the circle templates that I had used for Connors nursery for the golf balls and then painted on the shadows free hand. It was a bit time consuming but not as much as you would think. I would say the balls, grass, etc only took me about 3 hours total. Brad did the rolling and I did the trim work on the walls so we knocked it out pretty quick too. I made the valance on the window and attached it with my tacks and then used some old panels that we had in our bonus room at the old house and glued brown pom-pom fringe on the sides. The only thing I dont like is that the panels dont go to the floor but it doesnt bother me that bad so I am just going to live with it. I think it turned out pretty cute and boyish. I will take some final pictures when I get everything else in there (furniture, bedding, decor).

We also decided that it was time for a change in our bedroom. I can honestly say that I am pretty happy with every other room but have never loved my own room. We had a pretty good set up at the other house but when we moved here it just seemed thrown together. I was tired of the red so we began casually looking for deals at the department stores for some nice, high quality bedding. We fell in love with the Hotel Collection at Macy's but the price tag wasnt so nice! Brad came home and immediately went to Ebay and we found this set that wasnt at the store currently because it was a closeout. We again took a leap of faith and ordered the coverlet from the picture online and since it was only $30 we thought if we didnt like it we could either resale it or use it for something. We liked it pretty well and decided to order the other pieces. We have only been able to get one euro pillow sham so far. I am hoping for another, however if we dont get it then I will just use it as is now and fill in with some smaller pillows around it. We decided to go with white sheets, but here is where YOU come in... I need some help deciding what to put on my wall over the bed. Our large picture no longer worked so it came down and now I want something totally different. I dont want "wall art". I am thinking of maybe a collage of clean white plates, platters, etc., OR sconces with greenery, OR old white ceiling tiles. Do any of you have ideas? If so feel free to comment and give me some inspiration. I am also debating on painting the walls. I dont like the builder beige but I am not sure what other color I would use besides white. I am not sure I would like that either. Again, any ideas- please feel free!

Yes, those red curtains are coming down. I am thinking of doing some white faux silk panels with a (you guessed it) window mistreatment tacked on the wall behind them.