Resting peacefully at Blossom

As I revealed earlier this week, the bathrooms at Blossom St. were a complete gut job. But they were a fun one. There's nothing more satisfying than ripping out old, worn out bathroom fixtures and seeing them back together in a classic, clean way. 

So today let's take a look at the bedrooms. Some say there are three. Some say there are 4. It really depends on if you count what I call "the nook" a bedroom or not. 

For the most part, the bedrooms were cosmetic updates. Ripping out old carpet, ceiling fans, door knobs, new paint...that sort of thing. The back den turned bedroom was the most transformed in that it not only needed the cosmetic work but it also needed a ceiling scrape to get rid of the popcorn and it needed new flooring. Here's what it looked like originally...

One word. Dark. This type of room is very typical in this style and type of house. In so many older homes they have a paneled den. Now if you have the money, you can take out the paneling and put in dry wall. In this case, and even in our house, we opted to paint over it instead. 

And let's not forget this room had lovely boob lights. <insert groaning>

And now, this room feels light and airy with plenty of room!

The love seat pictured above pulls out to a single bed. This room is PERFECT for a family with a child or even three friends. It houses a queen bed plus the pull out sofa. Not to mention it has large closets for plenty of storage. Did you notice the coral side tables? Those are your traditional 80's round side tables that usually are in a pecan wood color. A quick spray paint and they add the right pop of color by the bed. And they were less than $40 each. 

You'll start to notice a theme in the bedrooms...see if you can find it as we go along. 

On to the next bedroom, which houses the only king size bed and also the only fireplace. I'm assuming this was once the master bedroom as it also has a door leading to the bathroom. 

Before, it was not bad, just not great colors. This was really a good example of how basic cosmetic changes can make a big difference. 

And now, it has so much more character and a light, happy feeling. 

I really want to wake up in that bed. 

So have you seen a theme yet? I mean aside from the fact I used the same paint colors (SW Elder White on the walls and SW Repose Gray on the ceilings). 

Here's a hint.

All the rooms in the house will have a cute and colorful dog print. This Airbnb is dog friendly so when I found these prints at multiple stores (Tuesday Morning & Home Goods), I thought it would add a fun whimsy to the house but also give it more color. This one is my absolute fave. 

The last bedroom or two bedrooms, depending on how you look at it, is the most traditional. One had carpet with lovely hardwoods underneath and then the nook was just plain jane. 

You can see the nook that's sandwiched between the bedroom and the small bathroom. 

The nook was literally a blank slate. 

And now, this room(s) seems to be getting the best feedback! I think it's the art and rug combo. Despite not being sure if this would all come together, they all play together really well. If only my boys would do the same some days. 

The nook is now a cute little room with a single bed. I always wonder what these rooms were used for originally. A sewing room? A nursery? An office? 

The interesting part about both of these rooms is that aside from the queen bed, the rest of the furniture is all second hand from Facebook and consignment. Really! It just goes to show that you don't have to go new to be cute. 

So there you have the bedrooms. I shopped for all of these with a few things in mind...

1. Bright rugs with neutral walls
2. Every room has white and gray bedding
3. Dog prints and bright artwork to keep it happy
4. Make them peaceful. 

It's always iffy when you buy the furniture months in advance and aren't 100% sure it will fit in the room or even really coordinate. Then when it finally all comes together, it's so rewarding! 

So which is your favorite room? 

I'm a big kid now!

I had high hopes of the boys sharing a room when we moved to Schrallville. I thought for sure they would when we purchased the bunk beds. What kid doesn't love a bunk bed? 

My kid. That's who. 

Charlie has for months slept in the guest room. He claimed the guest room one night when they were being too rambunctious and we had to separate them. He apparently loved the double bed (mine from when I was a child) and has claimed it ever since. I tried and tried to ignore the inevitable but when he said "mom, is it in my room or Cole's room" I realized it was time. Time to give up the guest room and let it be his room. 

It was a little emotional for me. Partly because I was hoping a third child might join our family at some point and that would be their room. It could still happen but I decided I can't stop living our life for the "what ifs". In the meantime, we can fully utilize the spaces we have. After all, who knows what will come and I'm sure God already has a plan for that and I just don't know about it yet. 

The room started like this when we bought the house: 

Then we took the closet and flipped it in to the hallway so we could add a washer/dryer closet and we took the coat closet and flipped it in to this room's closet. You can see that here and here.  Perhaps having something to reference for scale will help...(that's our friend Todd laughing that he can't fit in the closet)

Then through time and paint it settled in to this: 

I used the curtains from the boys' room in our old house for color (which also inspired the paint color on the walls) and a mishmash of other furniture and bedding we already had. Truth be told this also turned in to our junk room. One small challenge in a smaller home is that you don't have a place to set your "stuff". You know, the Easter eggs you need to stuff or the fabric you need to use in a few days to make pillows. That kind've "stuff". So the guest room was it. 

On Sunday we finally rearranged the room (it wasn't the best use of space) and I used some curtains from our old bedroom. I loved the colorful ones but they were 8 inches too short and the fabric is discontinued. So in rearranging and making the most of what we had this is what I came up with...

We also lucked out - Hobby Lobby was having a huge sale on their metal artwork which was 100% boy. We snagged a few pieces and even let Charlie pick some out. He was super excited to get Spider Man and Batman (and so was his dad). 

I also bought a quilt, pillow and side rugs at Target, also on sale. The pillow shams are from Bed Bath and Beyond and incorporated all the colors in the room. I thought about buying the quilt to match but it was $130. Not something I could justify. The $20 one from Target. Much better on the 'ol purse strings! I was surprised that even the couch matched once it was all put together. 

Perhaps my favorite thing is that I had extra curtains and a rod so I hung it up in front of the closet to hide the winter clothes hanging in there. It's hard to tell but the curtains are a Nate Burkus design and are a grey/brown linen sheer that is also found in the couch and pillow shams. 

I still use the dresser, closet and night stands for storage. The boys get dressed in Cole's room and most of their toys fit better in there too. Charlie doesn't care. He loves that he has "his own room" even though he only really uses it for sleep. There is a basket of toys in here but they still prefer to play in the other room most of the time. Oh who am I kidding! They prefer to play with sticks, water, a large box or whatever else they can find outside most of the time!  

This room should be able to grow with him yet still be a place our guests can stay and not feel like they are sleeping in Toy Land (or on bunks!). I have to admit, it's nice to have it a bit more organized and functional. In time we'll add more artwork and other personal items so that it becomes more and more "Charlie's room."

What was Cole doing during all this time you ask? He apparently was walking around with my camera when I wasn't looking...

Anyone else have kid's rooms doubling as guest rooms? How did you handle it? 

Updating A Shared Boys Room

Well folks I haven't posted in a while, mostly because I'm tired. Yep. I'm just plain tired. That's what happens when my real (and by real I mean paying) job overfloweth. Well that and raising two boys. Speaking of my boys, not long ago I updated their bedroom (yes, again). I believe in updating a room as the child grows through their phases. We had the nursery in our old house: 

And when we moved to the new house it has morphed. I haven't posted pictures of the boy's room in our new house because I had it painted in December and wanted to show off the new colors. If I were a dedicated blogger I would show you the actual stages. But I'm not that good. Or maybe I am in my head but it doesn't always get typed on a page. 

I'll tell you how it all transpired...we converted them to toddler beds when we first moved in September. Then we realized that Cole was the only one who would sleep in them. Charlie preferred the soft mattress in the guest room. I kept the other bed in there just in case we needed it. 

Then we had their room painted in December with stripes and it was starting to come together. I thought I might take a cute picture and post it then...until we got new mattresses given to us. Then it wasn't so pretty anymore. That's actually what motivated me to go ahead and get their new beds. I mean who turns down free twin mattresses? So that's when I started searching for bunk beds. I actually considered two twin beds but when I put down the twin mattresses where I thought beds could go - no bueno. There was NO room for the boys to play. So bunk beds it is. 

With kids in tow, Anna M and I went to a HOLE IN THE WALL furniture place called Furniture Barn (for any locals). It was a little sketchy from the outside but actually had plenty to choose from at great prices. I opted for new and a shaker style, solid wood bunk bed. Of course I hated the color but that was easily fixed with this: 

We (and by we I mean Anna M and I...Daniel prefers to stay out of all my home improvement shenanigans for the most part) painted it in her garage because of course Mother Nature refused to cooperate and I insisted it be blue. 

You can see the original color was a honey oak type finish. Not unattractive but I'm not a fan of that color wood. Plus I thought navy would match their bedding much better and coordinate with the wall colors. 

Note to all of you who decide to paint in a garage. Open the garage door more than a few inches. I *may* have sneezed blue for a while and had blue tinged hair. #lessonlearned

Probably not the smartest idea keeping the door barely open. I'm sure I inhaled a few carcinogens along the way. 

Once I put the first and what I thought would be the only coat of spray paint on I realized there were a few spots I missed. We took the bright work light and glanced over the pieces we had already done. Wowzers. Apparently there were more than a few spots that needed touching up. Note to always use excellent lighting. It can save you some time and headache. 

It finally dried and it was time to put it up in the boy's room. I consider this a massive accomplishment since it was just Anna M and myself...and 5 children who wanted to be Helpy Helpertons. 

And they were loads of help let me tell you...especially the blonds. They were banished to the hallway to "work with their tools" but they managed to sneak in from time to time. 

I'm not sure what Cole is chewing on but I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the bolts we were searching for at one point. 

FINALLY! Several hours later, lunch fed, kids entertained and monitored, the bed was assembled and we were exhausted. It might have gone a little faster if we could have focused on the directions a little more intently (i.e. minus the blond distractions) and not had to take one entire side apart when we realized we put it together backwards. 

So without further ado, here's the boy's room now. Oh, and it includes a new bookshelf I bought for $20 at an estate sale the following weekend. Not the right color but it works for now. Disregard the race track in front of it. I was too lazy to tear it down for a "perfect shot". Keeping it real over here in Schrallville. 

I love that the stripes on the wall give it texture without competing for attention and distracting from the plaid Pottery Barn bedding. I love that on the Pottery Barn website they actually show the bedding on navy bunk beds. 

There are of course things still to happen like painting their toy chest, which I've waited to do when I got a better idea of the final room, and getting a bigger rug. But all in all, it's now a room they can grow in to. The best thing about the beds is that they also can be used separate if we ever wanted to take them apart. 

Charlie still prefers to sleep in the guest room (he's a little quirky like his dad) but Cole has claimed the bottom bunk (despite the picture). All in all, they love it and so do I. 

Who else has boy's rooms they've recently re-done? Send me pics!

Blue...oh so blue

Well that's what I was going for at least when I first decided blue should be the color of our bedroom when we first moved in. You may not know this but my mom and grandmother L-O-V-E(d) the color blue. I missed that gene. I like blue, just don't love it like they do. I am more in to the oranges, naturals and greens. However, I do admit that I have always loved blue in a bedroom so when we moved in to our house 4 years ago, I thought it was the perfect time to go blue.

To set the the stage so-to-speak, I envisioned a light, airy bedroom with pretty shades of blue in the royal blue family. No other color necessary, just shades of blue mixed with some white airy curtains - you know fun and uplifting in shades of blue.

What I got...hodge-podge blues that left you squinting instead of soothed.

Here's where we started - bland and boring:

And here is us in action...well I seemed to be taking a little break but I did work. Promise.

I really did paint that day...I just needed a little rest break

And here's how it first turned out. Not bad but not really what I was going for either. The blues were too bright and it was more screaming "WAKE UP!!" instead of "Ahhh...peaceful serenity".

So we lived in the WAKE UP blue bedroom for a while. I added curtains that were floral in nature with blue hydrageas in the pattern (Daniel hated them) to see if it softened the room up...but no dice. Too bad I don't have a picture of them. I still have them despite the fact Daniel wanted to burn them when I took them down.

When I started nesting while I was pregnant with Charlie, I decided not only were we going to paint the living room, hallway, new nursery and guest room but why not tackle the bedroom as well? Pretty much every room but the kitchen and bathroom. I mean I really went on a super re-decorating spree. Here is what I finally landed on in the bedroom and now it's much more "ahhh, blue serenity" than "WAKE UP SUCKA!"

I was super stoked when we were re-decorating when I found the comforter at Target (i.e. cheap). It has a very subtle, classic print that is mostly khaki but has touches of blue as well. In my opinion, the room is not completely done. There's all kinds of finishing touches I could add or tweak but I'm not willing to spend the money on them. Maybe in a new house when we have more space but for now, this is finally the softer, blue serenity-ish room I was going for originally.

So remember, if first you don't succeed - try, try, try again - but hopefully third time is the charm!

Do you have a pretty blue room? If so, send me pictures! Maybe I'll be inspired again if we ever move to a new home.