Living Room Projects

So since 2013 I've been working as a designer in a furniture store and not home much and not blogging much.

During that time all my projects got put on hold around the house except for HAVE TO

projects. 

Now that I'm once again between full time gigs...it's time to confront all that needs to be done here.

I bought that little chest above two years ago because it was just the right size to go by the front door.

I wanted something not very deep but wide enough to fill that wall.

Oh...I could've bought this in a creamy white finish that would have gone very well with my decor but it was three times the price in that finish. So I bought the version on sale for $130 planning on painting it myself. Here it is still waiting to be painted two years later. 

 

I am thinking of painting it similar in style to this. I don't know where this image came from I've had saved on my phone a long time.

A year ago Kirklands had this version of the same cabinet in a natural wood finish. I would have been happy with this finish but it was around $400 and that's not in the budget and now they don't have it any more. I'd rather an antique piece in this spot but antique pieces are always deeper. This one is only 12 inches deep.

It's just the right size by the door. Oh...that burgundy color looks so bad. When Mom saw it she loved it and said I should not paint it. But I hate it so it's getting painted.

I started to strip and paint the wood work in this room and never got back to it.

That is a priority project that needs to happen. Then I need drapes after that.

Oh and the room desperately needs a bigger rug.

Seems like I should be getting lots done right now but between working on two design projects for clients and searching for a full time job and....I have a part time job I am doing that is keeping me solvent.

There is not much time for decorating in my own house these days.

 I love alabaster lamps. This one I found out shopping with my friend Leslie at a country antique show.

 I am WAY over that lamp. But have not found one that speaks to me yet to replace it. One day I'll run across one I can't live without. I have bought two different ones that I thought would go in this spot but neither looked as good as this one. So they ended up in other places in the house.

 Soon the fall stuff will come out. Won't be long now at all.

I bought chalk paint the other day to paint this.

Aiming for it to look somewhat like this. I am a little worried that it will fight the fireplace a little.

I once had a table in this spot that was given to me. It was painted a pale yellow green.

The color looked actually fine in the room. But I didn't like the color so I painted it periwinkle instead. The table looked great in periwinkle but it looked too bold for the room. 

I ended up moving the table to another spot in the house. It was the wrong size anyway.

I could go the safe route and paint this a creamy white but I have a lot of creamy white in the living room.

Any opinions?

sharing at

Open House Sunday

Today...a Modern Bungalow...sort of...

built 1917

Well, this is an old house...for sure...but inside it's brand new!

This little bungalow is in the Plaza District neighborhood of Oklahoma City.

Twenty years ago this neighborhood was really down on it's luck but now it's one of the most popular areas of town for dining and shopping and just hanging out.

All the old homes that were long neglected are being renovated in this neighborhood.

 This neighborhood is not on the register for historic places so anything can be done to a house and anything is being done to houses in the Plaza.

This one is cute...of course. But new modern windows replace the original wood windows.

In my neighborhood if it's decided a window is in such poor condition that it needs to be replaced a new one must be made of wood just like the old ones. 

Thankfully there is a company in town that does a fantastic job at this.

Wood Window Rescue

They restore and repair historic windows. They did my neighbor's house a few years ago and they did an amazing job!

 So if your house is designated Historic and is on the Historic register - you are not allowed to willy nilly do whatever you like on the outside. I'm happy about that...it keeps people from doing weird renovations. But on the other hand there are things I'd like to do to my house that are period appropriate but because my house didn't have them to begin with...I'm not allowed.

Like I'd like to turn my windows in front into french doors going out on to the front patio.

This was something that was done to other houses when my house was built but because my house didn't have this...I can never do it.

Oh...well...I'll survive. I understand they want to keep it all authentic to the time period. 

 Back to this house...it's very light and bright inside. I love that but....

Bungalows traditionally were not light and bright.

They were cozy and dark. 

So I wonder about renovations that take all the original inside character out and replace it with modern things. Like that modern wall fireplace. It's cool...I suppose...but I'd rather the original fireplace if there was one. 

 This house is staged and it's a crazy mix of furniture. I do like that it's fun.

But if I bought this house - the first thing I'd do is put in a more traditional looking fireplace.

 So the wall is gone between living room and dining room and kitchen. One of the things I love about bungalows is they usually have a pretty divided wall between living and dining. Maybe this one didn't but I hate to see those gone. 

But it is a nice open space.

I do like this kitchen ...but it's so modern farmhouse. I love a white kitchen. My own kitchen is white but this kitchen doesn't look like it would be in a bungalow at all.

And that bothers me.

But a lot of people will love it.

 I guess that's all that matters. Actually...I should try to design a bungalow kitchen that is light and bright but still feels like a bungalow..that would be a nice challenge for me.

The tile is fun. I'd get tired of it very fast though.

 I really like this mirrors and the lights over them...again..this does not feel like a bungalow at all.

 Very cool shower and tub.

 Very modern

 They created rooms in the attic...so it's a two story now.

The backyard has a ways to go to reach it's full potential. That's for the new owners to work on.

 see full listing here

 What's your feelings on renovations like this? Do you think they should stay more true to the original character of the house or go with what's trending at the moment?

Personally, I think it's better to mimic the original vibe of the house than to go with trends that will be dated quickly. 

But I know it's mainly younger buyers in this neighborhood and they have to do what appeals to them. 

Happy Sunday!

Let's Build a Trellis

the easy way

Today's post is about a product I ran across on Pinterest.

I didn't like it when Pinterest started with the ads a few years ago but darn it if I don't find things I need through that feature from time to time. Clothes and shoes mostly.

But...I've had a situation at my house for quite awhile that I did not know what to do about till I happened upon a solution on Pinterest.

Last summer I bought a sweet pink climbing rose off Ebay.

Yes, I buy all kinds of stuff off Ebay including plants. I've bought hostas, lilies and this rose.

This rose was advertised as being native and hardy to my part of the country and I needed a rose that could survive the bright sun and heat that hits the front of my cottage in the summer.

Just looked up my past purchases on Ebay and this was an Antique Heirloom Seven Sisters Climbing Rose. I bought in June of 2017. Oh my two years ago!

It was just a little sprig of a thing. The first year, not much happened.

But this past spring I got some lovely blooms and it took off growing!

But as the summer progressed - this was the situation.

I knew I needed a trellis. But all the trellis's were made straight up and down.

I wanted it to curve and follow the arch of my front porch.

I debated making one of wire or copper pipe...which seemed involved and I didn't want a big trellis on the front of my house. I had seen hooks that you are suppose to drill into your house. But I did not want to drill holes into my brick. It's old and fragile.

So one day I'm on Pinterest and I see this ad for Magic Tape!

This stuff is suppose to hold up anything. And even works on a rough surface like brick.

It's double sided.

It will stick up very heavy things and when you are ready to take whatever down..it comes off without leaving a residue.

It's truly magic stuff.

Here's the link so you can watch the video if you have not seen it.

I bought from the site LifeBooster. I was skeptical and worried it wouldn't come but in two weeks it appeared in my mailbox.

I ordered the smallest amount. It was $14.99.

 I bought command hooks at Walmart. 
I bought these because they are clear.

 I cut small pieces of the tape and stuck it into the grout of my brick. I had done a test the day before on the back of my house to see if it would work and it did...stayed all day and came off very easily when I pulled it off.

I stuck up several hooks with the stuff and pushed the vine into the hooks. I had contemplated tying the stalk to the hooks with twine but decided to push inside. I may regret and be taking them out and tying next year because if the vines get large they will burst out of the hooks. 

Any gardeners have an opinion on this? 

There you see it close up. 

So this has been up over a week now and it's doing great. 

Still stuck very tight.

 

I guess as more branches grow - I'll add more hooks.
I guess...I don't really know how this is going to go.
It's an experiment.

 One day the front of my house will look like this!

 This magic tape is amazing. I fixed this little problem too.

I bought this mailbox a year or so ago because the weenies kept eating my mail.

I have a mail slot and it drops to the floor and the dogs run in there and get my mail before I do and scatter it around the house. This has been a problem since I moved in. But one day I was browsing Hobby Lobby and found this antique looking mailbox that was just the right color to blend with my historic house plaque on my porch.
This was the solution to keep the weenies out of my mail.

 I drilled holes into the brick and used anchors to hang it but there was no way to keep the bottom of the mailbox attached to the house. This really became a problem say if I got a magazine or a bunch of mail - the postman would cram it in there and I'd come home finding my mail box about to fall off the wall. Sometimes dangling. It just wasn't stable. It needed to be attached to the wall at the bottom as well. I tried several sticky things and nothing stuck to the brick.

But after I made my trellis, I cut a bit of the magic tape and stuck to the bottom on the back 

and ta-da!!!!

Now my mailbox is very secure. It doesn't move around at all any more.

I have no idea what else I'll use this magic tape for but I bet I come up with some other uses.

 A few photos of the porch as summer is winding down. 

It will be super hot here for at least another 4 weeks. So it will be awhile before fall goes out on the porch. I keep twinkle lights in the lanterns on my front porch year round.

 I love that nest pillow. 
I bought from my sponsor over on the right margin of this blog - 

shop here

This was the first pillow bought from her. 
But I have several that I change with the season.
I'm sure many of you are familiar with her designs. So lovely.

 They are always beautifully made. 

A few cement rabbits tucked here and there.

 My impatiens are doing really well now. 
I didn't have much of a budget for flowers this year.

I bought one group of six impatiens for $1.98 in the spring.

With that one group of six tiny plantings...I've filled four big pots full.

Actually, when I buy impatiens I look for gangly ones...
ones that have gotten long because I 

nip them off and stick the part I nipped off into damp soil in a pot and keep it damp for a week.

At the end of the week...those little cuttings have started growing in the new pot and the old ones are better for being groomed. I do it over and over during the summer till I have lots of impatiens around here. 

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