Lamp Update

I found this little lamp up in the attic... we had once used it in the guest room of the old house.

Since we're short on overhead lights in this house, I decided to update it for my youngest son's airplane theme bedroom.  The peachy-pink color had to go!

The bedroom colors are blue & yellow, so I got out that same yellow spraypaint I used for the Curious George party and also for the Family Room candle holder.

A couple of coats later... the base of the lamp looks 100% better!

BUT I'm not happy with the shade- it's too small.  It was just in another box of "extras" I had sitting up in the attic... I originally considered using them in the nautical bedroom lamps that were my dad's as a child... but then we came across the original shades in my parents' attic).

So, I'm on the hunt for an airplane-ish lamp shade in a better shade.

You can also see the galvanized metal buckets hanging on the wall behind the lamp (which is above his little desk)... those I got a while back from "PickYourPlum.com".  They're great for holding pens, pencils, stickers, and lots of odds & ends!

Nautical Bedroom Update- Chair Cover

Part of my spring cleaning was clearing out the clothes that no longer fit the kids. 

That led me to this sweater... my son loved it when he was in his pirate phase.

At first I thought I'd make another throw pillow- 

I started by turning it inside out and stitching with some gray thread...

That's when I realized it was going to be an odd shape, or would have some weird detailing at the corners.

So, I rounded the top and then cut off the excess material...

and turned it right-side out.

I decided to make it into a chair cover for the desk chair!

Who knows... it still may become a pillow someday... we'll see!

Pillow from Placemats!

While getting some spring cleaning done, I came up with a few projects to update the kids' bedrooms...

The first was for our oldest son's nautical theme bedroom.  I found these placemats on clearance at The Christmas Tree Shop (for 88 cents each!) I thought they would make a cute throw pillow.

I found a tan colored thread and sewed down the edges by hand.

The sewing machine would have been quicker, but I'm still a bit intimidated by it!

One side sewn...

After sewing three sides together, I stuffed it with batting and closed up the fourth side.

I also picked up a set of similar placemats with a crab on them that I may also make into a pillow.

AFTER

BEFORE

I have another super quick sewing project to share tomorrow, 

and later in the week a small project for the airplane room!

Our newest addition... a puppy!

The breaking news around here is that we've gotten a puppy!

He's a blue merle Australian Shepherd, and just the cutest ball of fluff.

He has beautiful blue eyes...

I'm looking forward to great photo ops this summer of the boys & their dog...

....as soon as we get through all this snow!

For now, we're all just snuggling up with him :)

Family Room Update

We've been so busy with finishing up the Media Room, that I neglected to mention the other new couch we bought... this one for the Family Room.

Then I realized that it's been quite a while since I've posted full room photos here (when I spruced up the built-in shelves, I never got around to taking a wide shot!)

So, I figured now's a good time for that...

From front left corner of room

From front right corner of room (behind the piano)

From back left corner of room (by back door)

The green loveseat & chair are on their way out... I'm just looking for the right thing to replace them.   I thought about getting the loveseat to match the new couch, but I'm going for more of a "lodge" look in here and I think that'll be to "matchy-matchy".  I'm leaning towards getting two chairs- but haven't found ones I LOVE yet.

From back right corner of room

The other update will be the coffee table.  While I love the storage that the leather ottoman-style table gives, it's too low for the new couch.  I plan to move this up to the media room (which will give us extra movie/game storage space up there) and get a new table in here.  Again, just haven't found the "right one" yet.

We're also thinking about getting a new rug in here.  The moss green one was from the old house, and while not terrible, I'm thinking we could get a larger & more impactful rug in here.  We'll see!

I remember thinking this room was just OK when we viewed the photos of it online during house hunting. Here's a photo that's similar to what we saw then...

It was taken from the foyer doorway, but the angle doesn't give a true feeling for the depth or width of the room.  When we actually toured the house and saw this room, we fell in love with it!

Just for the heck of it, I took a new picture from the same angle...

Anyways, we're going for a cozy look & feel (especially when the fire's going in the fireplace!)
There are little nooks in the corners of the room... so even if we're not all watching the same TV show, we all tend to hang out in here together.

The nearby radiator makes this seat
one of the warmest in the room!

Chair is on the way out, but is so comfy
for curling up to read at night.

Corner Cabinet & chaise lounge.
Not usually used for lounging...
more often is my laundry folding station!

The piano,
which doesn't get nearly enough use!