This room turned out so pretty and Heather was so gracious to snap a few photos for me…Notice how one side of the bed has a neat little tray and the other is more “accessorized” i dared not asked her to fix that area;; ha! She is pregnant after all, and we are also working on her bathroom and oldest sons bedroom..so she is busy but her photos really reflect the feel of the room..simple and sophisticated. We splurged on the Restoration bed and invested in nightstands and dressers but the rest of the room is pretty reasonable..like ”vintage” pier one throw pillows form her stash on chairs, mirror she already had over bed, Linen shams mixed in with duvet she already had plus monogrammed pillows all from pb;;;…We did splurge on Robert Abbey brass lamps and the yellow lamp on the dresser.

Speaking of the dresser, its from Paula Deen…i know that sounds like the opening to a joke but i am serious..Paula Deen has a furniture line and its well made and pretty! And the nightstands are from Bassett..they are hall chests but look perfect..i love oversized nightstands and they give so much more storage!

In fact, I spy some of my favorite decorating bargains in this room too, like the jennylund armchair from IKEA but we added the  Bemz loose country slip covers  -they are in “absolute white rosendal pure washed linen“… bemz.com is great if you are trying to take ikea bargains up a notch! And get this the drapes – Potterybarn teen, yes POTTERY BARN TEEN…they are out of stock but i always check places like that for lighting, drapes and rugs..they aren’t just for kids or teens..You know i have a bit of a love hate with PB but this was a score! they look so nice! Oh and I spy another one of my favorties … this table from Urban outfitters! Its the perfect little table for a small space.

{note: wall Paint color – agreeable gray by Sherwin Williams}

We still want to add upholstered stools at the end of the bed and work on art over dresser etc but it is looking great..i am pleased!

Thanks Heather for letting us look at your bedroom transformation.oh here is a before!;;;

 Thanks for looking..if you are waiting to worl on your master bedroom, don’t wait..you need a pretty space..even if you cant do all new furniture or bedding consider painting or adding white sheers or a plain white quilt or making a pillow. You will feel so much better!

Tessa and I have worked on several area of her GORGEOUS home…I mean look at it…it oozes charm..don’t you want to go to coffee and hang out here?!

Well Tessa has great style and even better heart.  She has a fabric obsession beyond even mine and she has taught me much about sourcing fabrics…she is an encyclopedia of textiles and loves to mix patterns! She is also a mother of boys so we have had a ball!

She has an eye for antiques (she bought this dresser for a bargain at auction) and a great collection of art and blue and white.  We share the philosophy that blue and white pottery is basiclly a neutral that works in any room.

The wallpaper is classic Thibaut, perfect for the romantic slanted ceilings.  The amazing monogrammed pillows are from Gramercy linens..bolster from Peter Dunham Textiles and buffalo check shams are Ballard. The room is such a mix of high and low and off the shelf and vintage or antique. I love that..makes the process so fun!

And of course Tessa needed a linen skirted desk..she loves monograms and paper as much as i do!

vintage bird prints.

And i love how she styled the dresser with a TON of frames…all or nothing..looks great just covered and paired with the gourd lamps from ballard to anchor the chaos.  notice the linen drapes reflected in the mirror… We used the same inexpensive (but yummy no less) linen on the windows, desk skirt, headboard and generously gathered bedskirt.

So so so lovely..just like my dear friend..Bravo Tessa!

Thanks for letting me share Tessa..check her blog..it is great and I know she will have more details and photos coning later…

My client Analisa had painted her bedroom a pretty color and had a pretty bed, nightstands, lamps and rug she loved but still wanted to do a few things to complete her space… THE BEFORE

It was so easy to finish this space off and now she and her husband really love it! THE AFTER…

First thing we did was pivot her rug and add new bedding from West Elm, she looked at the ruched bedding at target and pottery barn but loved the set at West Elm best and it was on sale!  Walls are Benjamin Moore Atmospheric! I love how her white frames and mats look against the dark walls!

 And the doors!  she still has one to do but i love how you can see the difference…they are Chelsea Gray of course!  She is the client that did the painted doors in her hallway remember?!

 I think that little yellow chair from Anthropologie is her fave thing in the room…we would do the accent pillow on the bed larger if we had to do over and the doors need finishing but overall, the goal to freshen was a huge success! I won’t list all sources out of respect to my paying clients but isnt that chandelier awesome..from Overstock!  Thanks for letting me share Analisa!

PB even makes the map wallpaper stuff now…called decals.  Oh well, i still love the mix. I DO think throwing in bunting from etsy (I LOVE COASTLINE via the Grace Happens blog) or a vintage piece from ebay or a local shop can make convenient items from PB and other big box sources go a long way!

and you know what, Grant would probably prefer the themey beach bedding! It’s good either way you go..the important part is doing something special for your kids and making space for them to grow and love and learn!

[metal bins from Restoration kids, light from Barn light electric, paper bunting from Coastline or Olive Manna, wire basket light from PB kids, driftwood mirror, anchor and fish from PB teen or kids, blue chevron fabric is called ZIG ZAG from premier, available at fabric.com]

Its a long story  but my boys {age 6 and 22 months} share a 9 x 10 room because I am too protective to let them sleep upstairs where there is more room..i am weird like that!  And {knock on wood} its working, its actually very convenient to have all of their clothes and sleepin area and one spot and most toys upstairs.  What is really funny is that before i could fully blog the room, i already changed it!  I have painted one wall with vintage green chalkboard paint, changed the art over the crib a zillion times including wallpapering a map on the wall, and repainted the frame around the rhino. and have already changed out the dresser!  Here are some more photos..see if you can follow!

The crib and bed are both white which i think helps with the small space. The walls are Laura Ashley STONE 2 from Lowes, they have been repainted this same color three times over the years!

BEFORE: BLACK CHALKBOARD DRESSER

This shot shows the short cowboy drapes (this fabric is discontinued sorry to say)..i love the length and you notice the rain boots are sitting on a black chalkboard dresser..it is now gone for the gray dresser that WAS in the dining room before the piano arrived!

AFTER: GRAY DRESSER!

{photography of my boys was done by Feather Nest Photography..thanks Allison..and the canvas were made by Color Inc..amazing job! we love them!}

I like the gray dresser better but wish it was larger! And after all you can’t have a black chalkboard dress and a green chalkboard wall right..too much chalkboard paint for even me! right?  and i used the chalk marker and it wouldn’t erase anyway…a good reminder to season it correctly!

So the BLACK chalkboard dresser is in the attic awaiting its next mission in life and the gray dresser is being used until i find something longer and the wall is now chalk..follow that? ha!

Not styled. You can’t really see it here but there is a giant linen board leaning above the dresser to display schoolwork etc…

above the crib early in process

Cute monogram art from Small Words but my little man child kept pulling it off the wall!

SO now it is chalkboard paint..i used the cottage living recipe from their idea house (see it posted here on the Lettered Cottage blog!) BUT the Dutch boy color Dry Basil did not work for me… I used Martha’s Saguaro green paint color and just added grout!  works perfect..its the perfect old school look! And i used dustless chalk don’t worry!

The baby blanket has also been altered since its beginning.remember the dahlia print, now it has been resurfaced in Thomas Paul’s OCEANIA fabric…this is a great fabric for boys..it has turtles, octopus, crab, etc…so fun! The cribskirt is from a twin sheet set i bought at target..i use the fitted sheet on Drew’s bed and used the flat to make (and by that i mean have someone else make) a cribskirt..i love it!

The  mobile is from Spare Bedroom Studio and i love that the bookpage birds mirror the bookpage decoupaged rhino over Drew’s bed!

I love how this finally turned out…i tried the wallpaper map and he picked at it and it was too busy visually..i think the chalkboard wall will grow with the boys much better than the map though i still love the look.

You can see here where i used the other part of the sheet set on Drew’s bed..i hot glued burlap to the box spring to cover it!

oh yes i did!

And honestly i didn’t know how well this collage on the wall would “wear” but it hasn’t been knocked off….yet!

Its driving me nuts i don’t have a better photo to show y’all of the frame around the rhino painted a muddy FARROW AND BALL sample pot color (Charleston gray) Finally a use for the zillion sample pots of paint i have collected..use them to paint frames and other knick knacks that need “tweaking!”

So can you see the difference? its a fuzzy photo but the rhino frame looks so much better the greige color than the sick yellow don’t you agree? This may be confusing but illustrates how it really takes time and effort to get a room just right, or at least close enough you can live with it!..sometimes you have to repaint frames, and walls and change out dressers before things work! The details drive me crazy but make it work too!

Last but not least the light!  I used a pendant from Barn light electric and it looks so boyish and just completes the eclectic vibe i wanted to go with…they  have such a great selection and help you get exactly what you need to fit your space and install!

So there it is….imperfect, poorly photographed but lovingly executed and highly “used” by two rowdy boys…and all close in location so their mama can check on them in the night!

Not positive on the paint color but it sure looks like Martha’s sharkey gray to me….!

The room is tiny and filled with a large bed for guests so my strategy is to make the bedding beautiful!  This ruched bedding is available many places and at different price points…it’s great for a guest room because it’s easy to make and pretty even if “un-made!”  I love the use of the Pottery Barn shelf/mantle piece for a headboard….the little industrial carts for nightstands are from Urban Outfitters and they provide a wood tone and some warmth and visual weight for the floaty room.  Glass lamps can be found anywhere these days!  And i love the custom pillow from my peeps at Milk & Honey Home..they have some great fabrics and pillows in their shop if you want something unique!

Joan probably isnt going to have room on her walls but i think a piece like one of these below from Sugarboo would be fun in the room too and add some color..i love their work!

Be honest..would they scare you if you were a guest or intrigue? Perhaps a more serene piece like this…

or

{Art available here…yes i love thee Sugarboo!}

Just wanted to share..i may need to make a trip down to Crystal Beach for an overnight once this project is complete..just to make sure its all comfy and complete you know!

Remember I showed you a sneak peak of Nana’s tiny guest room upstairs? 

Well this WAS the OTHER side of the room. 

Once VERY junky and a total catch-all…I finally got it organized! Here it is in progress…

You can read all about the process here on hgtv.com BUT as we all know, it basically take sorting and purging to organize. 

And then the fun part, buying the organization goodies (mine came from Wal-Mart) and making labels (my stripey paper is a download from www.jonesdesigncompany.com of course;;)

Now if i can just keep it this way right?!

{Note the back of shelves are a sample pot of Martha’s Sea Glass from Home Depot diluted with leftover PURE WHITE paint from Sherwin Willaims!}

Tolix chair is from Industry West in Beaufort, SC!

Well our ARMY WIFE is hard at work scouring the thrift stores and internet for the perfect items to transform her master bedroom for this project.  The emails have been flying between Anisa and Julie (the design team from Milk & Honey Home), myself and our darling army wife!  As she finalizes paint color and bed linens, we have moved on to the collage wall.  We have started with a few basic items like a wedding photo and some word art from the talented Anisa (Army wife chose a beautiful verse from Song of Soloman)…she also wanted to use this wonderful vintage image of the couple saying farewell.

 But it needs more..a few final pops..click over to Milk and Honey Home to see what Julie and Anisa suggest..

And below are a few examples of different collage/gallery walls. See my post here for more ideas/suggestions. Barely scratchin the surface on this topic!

BUT i have to say, I love everything about this image below…the wall color, the symmetry and balance and the LIGHTING, how genius to add some special light and drama to your gallery walls. Yes, it is from Pottery Barn.

I am also loving the West Elm styling of the collage wall lately…on ledges..layers and leaning, baby!

And below is an example from my own home.  I have 3 or 4 or more collage walls in my small house..its like i used to be with plates..its a sickness…but i love how i did this one TIGHT in drew’s room.

Oh and look i spot another piece of Milk & Honey’s word art…this is like the kevin bacon game. Anisa’s work is my new addiction..it works in every room.

So there you go, everyone wants or has a collage wall because they have meaning, the fill space and they just work!  I can’t wait to see how the wall turns out in our Army couple’s room, it is sure to be special and can move with them from place to place!

 I am doing a little blog housekeeping today, adding images from my inspiration files that i want to catalog on the blog.

Let’s start with the wee ones! from Lay Baby Lay blog!

They had me at Paul Bunyan..brilliant! And a girl room from LAY BABY LAY  below….  YALL  there are AMAZING baby ideas on this blog..its like SNIPPET & INK for babies! Check it out!

Love the touch of black and the white hardware on the Marcia Brady dresser..brilliant!

And now some classic COTTAGE LIVING

From LONNY last year (october)

And another Cottage Living

and why we all miss Cottage Living..sniff sniff.

OK thanks for bearing with me as I catalog some inspiration images…

Are you sick of seeing photos of MY house, well too bad, on monday i have a confession to make that will include showing what is UNDER my new kitchen desk..beware!