Pillow Talk

I've spent the better part of this past week laying on my back on the floor. All it took was one sneeze... I stumbled backwards, threw myself on the couch, wiggled my way to the floor. Through the crazy spasming I somehow made it to an emergency physical therapy visit. Let's hope that doesn't happen again anytime soon...

Sooo... painting plans are off this week. I'm still fuming about that as I thought I would have 2 whole days to finish up the third bedroom. Needless to say, I've been getting all my Christmas shopping done... online of course! Not planning on any mall days for quite a while!

I've been thinking a lot about warming up the living room a bit. The current pillows were getting to matchy-match for me. Right now this is what our living room looks like:

1) Rug from Garnet Hill

2) Layla Pillow from Crate and Barrel

3) Pillow is from TJMaxx, but you can find similar ones here

4) Pillow from Wilma Long, etsy seller

* * *

Which brings me to my new discovery... ETSY PILLOW COVERS!!!!

You can search for pillow covers BY DESIGNER NAME OR FABRIC NAME and you sometimes get literally dozens of pillow covers in different color versions.

I may be late to the etsy party but I am literally freaking out.

So let's say I've been eye-balling this Robert Allen Vintage Plumes fabric in Jade...

I see it in magazines, I like it, it costs about $50 per yard.

But let's say I really want a pillow made from it. I would need to purchase the fabric and also learn to sew, or make my mom sew a pillow cover for me. 

Now we're talking about $50 PLUS an afternoon of time trying to figure out what we're doing.

But I typed in "Vintage Plumes Jade" in etsy and I get this:

Here for $55

Isn't that so worth the 5 dollars??

It's opened up a whole new range of possibilities. Here are some of my other favorite pillows, still mulling over them...

here

here

here

Stuff we want to hang on the walls

Here's something new...

 

Until this weekend we had a large section of our guest bedrom closet devoted to "stuff we want to hang on the walls."

We managed to get some of this stuff up on the wall. It's a little but it's a start!

It was a process much more simple than anticipated... 

1) choose a bunch of stuff

2) arrange stuff on bed

3) cut out paper the size of each piece of stuff (or for the lazy - create painter's tape Xs!):

 4) hang paper or Xs on the wall:

5) wiggle stuff around as needed

6) before hammering nails, check the back of each piece to assess placement of nail holes

7) hang stuff:

I even got around to some paint touch-ups that were needed in here. (I know, right???)

We still have lots to do in here, but it is starting to shape up:

- the desk is calling for a large white lamp shade with some kind of awesome lamp base

- the chair is screaming for a floor-length slipcover in grey and white stripes

- a rug

- some throw pillows

- better curtain situation on the windows

- closet curtain covering needed

Oh and I'm debating re-painting the room at some point! More of a charcoal grey? I don't know if the blue is too much? Any opinions?

Life and Lists and a 2 year Housiversary...

liquid gold

Sorry for the lack of updates. After an impromptu trip to California (yay!), I've been laid up with back and neck spasms (Grrr...), I'm just getting back into the swing of things.

I'm at the point now where I just keep making lists...

- To-do lists for each week

- Grocery lists

- Lists of stuff to do in the office

- Lists of house projects

- Christmas lists

I just realized I actually made a list of lists? Is that even possible?

Ok, so in honor of our 2 year Housiversary coming up this week, I'm listing our goals for the winter:

- butcher block - sand and wax

- sand, patch, and touch-up some troublesome areas of wall (stairs corner and upstairs bedroom spots)

- touch up white paint on trim (allover house)

- apply poly to stairs!

- finish priming and painting trim around stairs!

- pick paint and finish painting 3rd bedroom

- paint large dresser

- paint 2 small nightstands

- purchase pillow covers for living room throw pillows

- purchase and install chandelier for dining room

- purchase and install sconce and outdoor ceiling light for entrance area

- purchase king sized comforter (queen sized is too small for the bed!)

- lamps for bedroom

- organize recipe file and actually, like, cook

- frame and hang pictures, seriously, just do it (I actually did this a little bit this weekend!!)

- hang lamp in guest bedroom

- get new desktop and work on the office furniture situation

I feel pretty good about this list as most of the projects are not too time consuming! And the more time-consuming of the projects have already progressed.

Staircase Progress

Progress has been veeeeeerrryy slooooow on the staircase. At this rate I will be happy to be done with this project by Christmas - which is actually happening pretty soon...

Since stain takes a WHILE to dry (like a couple of days?) I decided to experiment and do the left half of the staircase first, so we could walk on the right side:

I was a little nervous that the middle area would look funny, but it's actually fine:

The only thing I'm a little worried about are the areas where the old polyurethane didn't lift off in the sanding stage. You can see the stripey lines in this photo:

It's ok, but not perfect. I might put another coat of stain over some of these lighter areas. By the way, the flash on this camera is more lighting than this staircase ever sees under normal conditions. So this is really the worst view possible.

I am kind of at a standstill with this project since we haven't had a chance to run to the store to get a fresh can of poly, and MY BACK IS KILLING ME! For realsies. The past few weeks of bending over the staircase might or might not be the culprit. Either way, I'm taking a break from the stairs for a bit!