Master Bedroom Retreat!

I am so happy to say the master bedroom is finally finished! I have so many photos and ideas to share with you! I will try to share as many prices and stores as I can remember too!

Those of you who are following the re-decorating of our home know that I had already decorated the master bedroom, but it was thrown together in a matter of weeks and not done in the style we now love. It looked nice, but it definitely was not what we wanted.

This is what the room was decorated like before. We were just so excited to be homeowners that we decorated really fast and didn't really have a plan. We wallpapered, used the bed and night stands we already had, and threw some bedding and pillows together! (You can read about removing wallpaper here.)

And...drum roll please!...........

This is what is looks like now! What a HUGE transformation right!? The room has this wonderful fresh, bright, and airy feel everytime you walk in! I love it sooooo much!

Here is a before and after from the day we moved in to now.

The color we painted the room with is Behr's Porpoise Grey.

We originally bought this platform bed 4 years ago from The Room Store. If you remember from the photo above, it was a very dark espresso color. I painted it white and distressed the edges for a more beachy/cottage look. I fell in love with it when we orignally bought it, but over the years had started to not love the dark color. This was such a great way to give it new life and fall in love with it all over again!

I did the same thing to the night stands. This saved us a TON of money! A gallon of paint costs $20 where as a new bed and night stands can cost thousands! You can read about the transformation of the night stands here.

I styled my husbands night stand with a sand timer (representing the subtle beach theme) and a W (for our last name Wisdom) mod podged with a copy of our wedding certificate. I was so excited to incorporate things that had meaning to us in our master bedroom. This W is just a $2 cardboard 3-D letter from Hobby Lobby and I then made a copy of our wedding certificate, layed the W on top and traced around it. You have to play with where you want the cert. centered on your letter to make sure to get the words in that you want. Then I layed the cert. on top of the W and painted mod podge all over and waited for it to dry!

I styled my night stand with a clear glass vase of faux flowers (I always do this in every room), and a weathered sign that says 'Barefoot at the Beach'. The sign was only $7 at Home Goods.

I like symmetry in a bedroom so I used the same nightstands, lamps, and picture frames on each side of the bed. The lamps are a dark wood base with a burlap shade. Only $29.99 each at Home Goods. The picture frames were $15 at Marhsalls and in them I put black and white photos of beachy vacations my husband and I have taken together. I also placed a small grey basket under each night stand to bring in color and texture. $12 at Marshalls.

Here is our new dresser! Ok I feel really sad because I bought this dresser on craigslist for only $60 and it was in bad shape and I DIDN'T TAKE BEFORE PHOTOS! I was too excited to get started on re-finishing it that I totally forgot! I really wish I could share it with you because it is such a HUGE transformation! It was a light wood color with old rusted gold hardware, dinged, scratched, you name it! I removed the old hardware, sanded it down and painted it this beautiful MINT color! After the paint was dry I rubbed it with black stain to give it a warn look and sanded the edges. I added new hardware from Target (they sell hardware in packs for only $19.99)! It is so beautiful now and I love knowing that I recycled something! Plus I am obsessed with this MINT color!

I styled the dresser with a vase of faux flowers (yes, another one), a photo of my little family ($5 Marshalls), some old books I had laying around, 2 candle holders ($7 Ross) and a wooden ball ($7 Kirkland Home). You can see how I played with layering and height. I like to make sure everything varies in height and groups together well. I started with about 20 random items around the house and played with them until I got this! **The wooden ball was marked $15 at Kirkland home, but it had  a few wood peices that were broken off, I asked the cashier if they would do a discount and they said yes!! Plus is was on sale so I got it for $7!! Don't be afraid to ask for a discount people! It works everytime!! Plus no one will ever see the broken spots because of the way I placed it!

I also added this cute metal starfish to add to my beachy theme. It was on the clearance isle at Hobby Lobby for $3!!!

Above the dresser I wanted to use mirrors. I already had these 2 and while I didn't know if the style was right for the room, I didn't really want to spend the money on new ones! So I tried them and they worked! I love the juxtapostion of the beachy/cottage feel and the clean glamour look of the mirrors. And besides, it's my bedroom so I can do with it what I want! No design rules here!

Above the bathroom door we have had this sign up for 3 years and I still love it so we left it there! "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" Such a great saying and we stay true to it every night!

This is the new ceiling fan my hubby installed for me! It is from Lowe's and part of the Hunter collection. It was only $139! The blades are crackled on one side and dark wood on the other. I liked the dark wood side. It helps to tie in with the dark wood lamp bases. This fan also blows around some crazy air flow! And here in Texas we need it!

This is a rug we found at Garden Ridge, 8x10 for only $99! YES PEOPLE I SAID $99!! They are starting to carry some really great modern patterns for less!

On the wall opposite the bed, we put up paneling. This one is called Mt. Vernon Weathered Pine. It has a white/grey wash look to it and adds to our beach theme! We topped it off with some white trim. The boards are 8X4 and $15 each. It is such an easy, inexpensive way to add character to a plain wall.

Above the paneling I wanted to hang some art. I found 3 20x20 'kids' canvases on clearance at Garden Ridge for $4.99. I went to the library to pull an Atlas and find maps of the cities where my husband and I met, got engaged, and got married. I took photos of the maps and printed them at Staples. You can get large 3'X4' engineer prints for only $3! I cut them to size and glued them down to the canvases. From there I used white rope to draw a heart around each city and hot glued it on top. Now we have a map of Pullman, WA where we met, Cozumel, Mexico where we got engaged, and Oregon City, OR where we got married. I love them! Such a great way to add art with meaning.

Here is the overall look. I may add an accent chair in the future if I stumble across one, but for now it looks great!

On the bed I wanted those MR. and MRS. pillows that Ballard Designs sells, but they are $60 each! So, I bought these burlap pillows for $19 each, printed the words MR. and MRS. on cardstock, cut the letters out and used the stencil to paint the letters on the pillows! They turned out great and for a fraction of the cost! The king duvet cover is from Home Goods for $30.00! And I am not a big fan of king size pillows so I just sewed a straight stitch along each pillow case to make them standard size! The stripe shams were $30 at Home Goods.

Above the bed I took 2 old ugly framed peices of leaf art, .25 each on clearance at Garden Ridge! CRAZY right!?!? I painted the frames black and had the lyrics to our wedding song printed at a local print shop (like Office Max) for $2 each onto brown 12x12 scrapbook paper. I glued them inside each frame and voila! If you're wondering what the song is, it's "Memories of Us" by Keith Urban!

This curtain rod is a distressed white rod from Lowes. $40. And the curtains are premade white panels from IKEA $19.99/pair. I cut the tops off and sewed in a stripe seersucker, then sewed the tops back on. I did this to add length, color, and texture. They look custom made now and match the room prefectly. The white curtains really help to complete the airy, fresh feeling in the room!

Overall, I had so much fun decorating this room and it turned out beautifully! I love being in this room! I bargain shopped for everything and we did all of the labor ourselves saving hundreds of dollars! I hope you like it too and are inspired by one of my projects in the room!

Now it's onto the master bath!

Girly Garden Nursery

I recently worked on this nursery for a baby girl! The client had already painted the walls green and had bought some crib bedding that was green and pink paisley. She wanted my help in pulling the room together so I went with a girly garden theme. Here are some pictures and tips on how to customize a nursery on a budget!

I really wanted to use white curtains to break up the green walls. These were store bought panels from Lowe's ($24.99/pair).

I then added this cute pink and white ruffle trim detail! I have this style curtain available in my Etsy store!

Tip: When adding detail to the bottom of curtains, measure where your window sill height begins and start your trim there! Then your eye is drawn along that line!

I also added the ruffle trim detail to the arm pockets on the rocker!

To make this simple, store bought rocker feel more custom I added cute pink flower buttons to the back of the cushion and the ruffle detail to the arms (above). Then draped it with a bright pink blanket!

I added these new green polka dot knobs to the dresser for a fun custom look! Only $1.99 each at Hobby Lobby! Tip: I always change out the knobs on every peice of furniture I purchase, old or new! It is such a fun, inexpensive way to add personality and character!

My client had already placed this decal on the wall, but it needed something more...so I added these white 3-D metal butterflies around the verse! These butterflies are from Target and only $19.99 for a large set!

To add to our garden theme, I placed cherry blossom silk flowers in a white watering can and a cute pink bird house on the dresser. I found this great 'window pane' mirror at Hobby Lobby for only $20! Tip: Adding a mirror to any space will help to bounce light around the room and make it feel a lot larger!

It is not completely finished yet, but with just a few of these simple, inexpensive touches the room looks much more cozy and pulled together! Remember, just because something is store bought and a finished product, it doesn't mean that it can't be changed or added to! Think outside the box and make it your own!



 

Let's Talk Hair!

  Today I want to give a shout out to my wonderful hair stylist Sara! I have been seeing Sara for all of my hair needs for the past 2 years. And let me tell you, before I met Sara I had seen over 10 different stylists in 3 years! I am sure all of you gals can relate when I say it is SO HARD to find a good stylist!! And there are so many scenarios you can go through too;

1. I would get my hair colored and cut, it would look fabulous, and I would return in 8 weeks to do it all over again and it would look horrible the second time around! I was starting to think that as a first time client, they would take extra care and then after that you got crap!

2. They just sucked the first time and I never went back :(

3. They would use so much product and do such a terrible job styling my hair that I ended up washing my hair the second I got home. What happened to following styling trends and not letting your customer walk out of the salon looking like they walked out of the 80's? Some stylists need an updated lesson on blow outs!

4. The stylist quits and recommends you to her friend who is now doing hair...UM NO!

So, I have been through my fair share of stylist drama! But then I met Sara  (que 'the heaven gates are opening' music). She rents a space in a very small, quaint salon in Plano, TX. It is called Eco Salon.
She is the best colorist I have ever worked with and those of you who know me personally know that I not only color my hair every 8-10 weeks, but I change the color too! I am someone who loves change. I do not like things to stay the same for too long and my hair is definitely one of those things. I get so bored with my hair that even waiting 8 weeks to change it can be too long! My stylist Sara knows me so well now that each time I walk in the salon she says "ok, what are we doing this time?" I trust Sara so much that I literally could sleep in the salon chair while she does my hair, wake up, and love it! 

Here are some photos of my hair over the past few years in all different shades...


This was the very first time Sara did my hair. (I am the second one in from the left). She made me a true blonde and added extensions. Which by the way she is fantastic with extensions! These were clip-ins. She will color them to match your hair, clip them in, and then cut them to lay perfect with your own hair! So fun!


Looking back now I really love these darker pieces and low lights we added into the blonde!


Here is another all blonde...


Around Christmas I wanted to go dark but was too chicken to do it all at once so we did this in-between brown color. Not loving this one...


So I dove all in! I really love the way this looked. And my hair was so healthy too! It really makes a difference when you are adding pigment into the hair instead of stripping it out! I got compliments on my skin as well! It really pulled out the warmth in my face!

But since it is now summer I am definitely missing the blonde! So I am headed to see Sara for some bright highlights! YAY!

If you are in the Dallas area you must give Sara a try! I have recommended her to all of my friends and family and over 10 of them now see her on a regular basis!
And, if you are not in the area I am so sorry and I hope you can find a stylist that you love! I hope this post has at least inspired you to try a new color, cut, or style!

Our Little Mister's Stash Bash

I really can't believe it, but my baby boy just turned ONE YEAR OLD! I swear I was just pregnant! But, with having children comes so many wonderful things! And one of which I have been excited and looking forward to...Party Planning!! About 3 months or so before Liam's birthday, I started looking at themes and ideas for a first birthday party. I came across this newer theme called "mr. man" or 'little mister" or "stash bash". I immediately loved this because everyone is always saying how much Liam looks like a little man. I thought it was a fun theme without being to childish or corny.

So the plans and research began. I scoured the internet (especially pinterest) for ideas and compiled them into an inspiration folder. I gradually worked on each piece for months being that we are always on a very tight budget! I pulled the whole party together for little to nothing and I am so excited to share it with you all!

It all started with this color scheme. Navy, Orange, and Teal. I designed this invitation and then printed and cut them myself out of card stock. I have this exact invite for sale on my Etsy page!

(There is a watermark shown for copyright protection and of course our information has been changed for security reasons)

Here is the dessert table! I found the table cloth at Target for $3.99! I designed all of the printables and printed them at home. Most of the supplies were bought at the dollar store!

I thought it would be cute to buy the cardboard letter from Hobby Lobby (only $2 each!) and cover them with scrapbook paper! Just lay your letter on the paper and trace it with a pencil. Then use an exacto knife to cut them out! We are also going to be using these letters in his 12 month photos this weekend!

I wanted the desserts to have a "manly" feel, so I used a cookie recipe that I LOVE for Chocolate Orange Cookies and turned them into "Old Fashioned" desserts. For those of you who don't know, an Old Fashioned is a whisky drink made with an orange slice and maraschino cherries. I just layered the cake and chocolate inside of a plastic glass (also from the dollar store...I thought they looked like mini whisky glasses) and then topped them off with orange flavored frosting and a cherry!

My sister-in-law helped me make these sugar cookies with royal icing. It took pretty much an entire day to do and luckily she was here to help me make them, otherwise I would have never finished. These things take way too much time! But they were so cute and tasted so yummy! I bought a .99 dog bone cookie cutter and bent it until it looked more like a bow tie. We then frosted them in argyle, stripe, and chevron patterns!

I also made these chocolate mustaches with a candy mold. SO EASY! I just melted 3 different kinds of chocolate, poured them into the mold, and put them in the refrigerator! I bought the tin bucket at Target for $2 and then filled the bottom with styrofoam. I placed a cut piece of scrapbook paper on top and stuck the sticks into it! 

This was the drink area. I made drink and food menu printables and then wrapped them with scrapbook paper folded to look like a french cuff, then glued a small button on the corner! The straws are from a beautiful website called Shop Sweet Lulu! They have stripy straws in every color you could ever imagine!

I used small water bottles and created cute labels for them (Wet your Whiskers, Real Men Drink Water, and Little Mister). I then topped each bottle off with a plastic mustache I got from this great site called Maxton Men. These were the hit of the party! They can go on any bottle too!

This smash cake was made by my sister in law who makes her own custom cakes. I just topped it off with a cute flag banner!

These props were left out for our friends and family to use throughout the party to take silly, fun photos! I made the mustaches out of thin foam board and the ties out of scrapbook paper, then just attached them to small wooden dowels.

Here is a pic of my little family!

This is the daughter of a good friend of mine...see the mustache clips even work on binkies! Too cute!

When I went shopping for Liam's outfit, I planned on just getting him a cute collard shirt and a tie, but when I was looking through the GAP I came across this PERFECT onesie that had a mustache, glasses, and Little Man printed on it! Plus it was on the clearance rack for $4!! The little tie was at The Children's Place on clearance for $3.99 too! I really hit the jackpot!

And here is my baby digging into that cake! So much fun!

We had a blast at his first birthday party and it was so much fun putting it all together! Can't wait for next year! Hope I inspired you with this cute Stash Bash theme!