It's a song we sing with our kids and it goes a little something like this...

"I love you (insert your name here),
Oh yes I do,
I love you (insert your name here),
this much is true,
when you're not with me, I'm blue
Oh, (insert your name here) I love you
Oh, (insert your name here) I love you!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

{progress: the guest room}

i feel like i have hardly left this room lately.  so much painting to do!  covering the wood paneling is taking 4 coats (1 primer +3 coats) and i have to use a brush to get into the grooves.  the room is small, but the ceiling is high and sloped so it is up and down the ladder quite a bit.  ooh...and did i mention the closet doors and doors to storage under the eaves are all louvered?  i have had white paint in my hair for weeks!  ;)

but...this week i have pretty much finished up all but the touchup on the white and moved on to the floor.  all the nasty hot pink shag was pulled up and i sanded the plywood subfloor.  because we didn't want to spend any money, i used the same paint as the playroom floor.  score!



the door to the room was in rough shape.  the previous owners must have had a dog (i can only assume) that was locked in that room at somepoint.  there are HUGE hunks missing from the bottom of the door.  and if that isn't enough, it is an ugly flatpanel door from the 60's/70's. nothing wrong with that if your house was built then, but ours is 100+ years old.  it just looks so out of place.  (there are many doors like this in the house and i would love to replace them all at some point with pretty raised panel doors.  just not high on the $ priority list.)  i used wood filler to fill in the bites out of the door.  there was seriously so much putty in the door mike told me at one point to just go buy a new one.  it is far from perfect, but i'm pretty sure no one will notice.  (except those of you that come visit because now you know what to look for- ha!)

i went ahead and painted the flat panel door with chalkboard paint.  in my mind, at least then it seems more purposeful- being flat and all.  again, i already had the paint so no dinero.  i am thinking it might be fun to do something a la shanna murray like this on the door to welcome guests and write them love notes.  i also like the idea of using japanese washi tape to add photos and add a gallery of sorts to the door.  maybe hand draw some frames for pictures???  feels a bit playful to me, but not over the top.





come visit us when i'm done and your cute mug can be one of the first on our door.  how's that for a bribe?!

Friday, February 24, 2012

{our father}

for your viewing enjoyment. 

i may be a bit biased, but he melts my heart everytime i hear it!

Friday, February 17, 2012

{no-bake energy balls}

i found this recipe via pinterest and we are totally addicted.  the kids love them and they feel way healthier than giving them cookies.


you can find the recipe on the blog smashed peas and carrots.

try it and let me know if you can eat just one???

Thursday, February 16, 2012

{diy: my version of the overdyed rug}

i have had this throw rug in front of our door for like 12+ years now.  the size is great, but i am so over the color.  the washed out green went great when we had a vibrant area rug in the adjacent family room, but now that the rug there is neutral, this rug makes me snooze.  it just is boring.



since the rug was from the crate and barrel outlet and wasn't expensive to start with, i wasn't too afraid to try and update it a bit.  i keep seeing over-dyed vintage rugs all over the place and thought the same concept might work for a rag rug. 

aren't these rugs gorgeous?!  they are a bit bright for my taste, but i love the concept of redeeming and rethinking vintage rugs.
 
from abc carpet and home

and here is a dip dyed IKEA rug via Martha Stewart





the color turned out a bit greener than i had hoped, but SO much better than the original.


for round 2, i bought rit dye again in navy blue.  this color is better, but has some purple undertones i could do without.  i am still really happy with it though.


i may run back to joann's (coupon in hand) for another box of denim dye.  maybe just a bit more of the green would make this my perfect blue.  i can be a bit neurotic like that.  or maybe i will try out this new motto...HA!


print from dorothy jeanne goodswww.dorothyjeannegoods.com

Friday, February 3, 2012

{craft hope: beanies & bags}


check out my post over here on craft hope.  this one should be fun!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

{guest room-to be}

we have decided to switch out the office for a guest room.  truth be told, it was always more of a dumping ground for things without a home than it was an office anyway.  (i think we dubbed it the office since the desktop and printer lived there.)  i don't think anyone will miss the office.

but a guest room...now that sounds useful to me.  the air bed sprung a leak and so any guests that now stay over bump the boys from their room to aiden's floor.  (which they do not mind in the least.  they are huge fans of sleeping in "nests".)  it's just that the boys have a queen-sized bed that they share and it is really the only logical place to put anyone.  but...they have recently become way too squirely to share a bed.  and their mattress is shot and needs replacing.  and our awesome neighbor recently moved and gave us a double mattress in great condition that we can use in the guest room.  (yes a double is a bit small, but snuggle up people, it's not forever.) guest room it is!

since the room is technically the attic and is finished off in some *lovely* wood paneling, i am hoping to make the space feel a bit more open and airy.  i have gone through way too many cans of white paint and the albeit-it-tiny room is already feeling more spacious.  i am trying to go for a bit of cottage meets beach house.

our room has a window and ceiling slant just like this.  i ripped down a small ceiling that someone had put up and so we now have a few small beams like this showing as well.



i have some oil on canvas auction finds i may consider hanging in there similiar to this.  i will also need to paint the subfloor and this floor looks like it may be painted as well.  trying to decide now if the floor should be white to blur the lines of this super small room, or if i should paint it the same dark blue/green (benjamin moore narraganset green) as the playroom to help ground the space since the ceiling is high in there. 



i really like this neutral palette with small touches of black.


so here's the latest dilemna in the space.  we are going as cheapo as possible up there.  i found two great light fixtures (at lowe's of all places) that i think will look nice above the door.  this is the only place there is wiring for a light and so i need a sconce of some sort for there.   both of these are about $25.  (sweet, price right?!)

do we go for the barn light inspired sconce in galvanized metal?  (which is already cool looking but may look good painted up all glossy)
or the more nautical inspired fisherman's light that speaks to the wall mounted lights next door in the playroom?
playroom lights from pottery barn kids

whatever sconce we pick will probably also go outside the door in the hallway to downstairs.  (the 70's called and they want their brady bunch looking light back.)

so...what's your vote?  which light is your favorite?