New Spaces

We are starting to settle in at home a bit more. For the most part we are back to a regular sleeping schedule! Yesterday, after looking around, I felt our little house was in need of a change or two. Some spaces and corners were feeling stagnant and dull.

I set to work moving furniture and organizing toys. We now have a nice cozy area for play in the kitchen, as well as some proper little nooks carved out i the play room downstairs. I have been ignoring our bedroom since we moved in, but that does need work. I am slowly transforming the craft studio into a library and craft area, but that will take a lot more time than i have during the week.

We also have some unsightly areas where clutter seems to gather. Namely a little cubby in the kitchen (our visible "junk drawer") and on top of the credenza. The top of the credenza is where we put things to keep them away from the kids. Really we need to find a new home. My fabulous credenza is not looking it's best these days!

I am going to try and focus on one room at a time, until it feels complete. There are several rooms that are so close to being done:

The boys room is almost complete. We just need to get a toddler bed for Dylan and a bit more art work up.

The kitchen will never feel done, as we want to gut it and start over. It has however been painted at least!

The living room has been painted and is now awaiting some art work and maybe a throw cushion or two.

The upstairs bathroom needs a different mirror and artwork, but other that that is the best room in the house!

The play room needs some organizing, new carpet (though not anytime soon) and a whole pile of art work! I did want to build a little play structure with a small platform, ladder and slide, but now I am rethinking that ......

All the other rooms need too much work to even think about this early in the morning! So off to work I go!

Nooks

The space above our toilet, photos taken of the bathroom before the drywall went up! This completes our bathroom renovation!!!!!

My growing apron collection

My dresser. We got an amazing 1950's set on Used Vic a while back. On top is my massive pile of granny squares for the Ravelympics blanket, the blanket for Cory and my little VV deer! The owls were a project of mine from the last house.

Nooks

a giant blow up of a 1956 magazine cover

the quilt my grandma made me for high school grad and the burlap bucket i made

my blue mountain pottery collection

I love my house! It's really coming together! i have a definite vision of what i want it to look like and slowly it is getting there! Here are a few little nooks I am enjoying at the moment.

Improvements

I have been giving our house a lot of thought. I decided that the play kitchen (in our kitchen) had to be relocated.... or possibly even removed. In it's place I have painted two large squares of dark blue chalkboard paint. I used a recipe from Ms. Stewart to make custom chalkboard paint colors. You basically mix in a bit of unsanded grout, paint and then sand lightly afterwards. This whole process was a bit harder than I thought.



The grout mixed into the paint made it very thick, so thick that it just globbed on the roller and didn't turn very well. Eventually I get the hang of it and got the wall painted. After it dried there were some patchy spots, so I went over the whole thing with a sponge brush and it looks much better.


I am so excited for it to dry! The top part is for Cory and I to write notes, and little phrases Jackson has said. The bottom half will be for Jack and soon Dylan to draw on. Currently there is a chalkboard in Jack's room, but the chalk gets all over the carpet and he rarely uses it. I am going to make a little eraser attached to a string and a little box or shelf for the chalk, so everything hopefully stays in one spot.

My other task today is sorting through the massive collections of playmobil and lego that Cory brought home from his dad's. The amount he has is insane!!

Creepy Decor

Okay so as you can tell i am sort of nesting. Well not really nesting, preparing for the indoor season ahead. I would love to have my house a bit more together this fall. Art is a big thing for me and I have been slowly working on a few pieces. I am also interested in textile art, such as my Jackalope .... who still doesn't have a name! Recently I stumbled across this rat on etsy. Is it too over the top? It is fairly small, and it's in the name of science. So what do you think? Too morbid, or gross for a house with baby and preschooler? I just love how fuzzy he is!

Decor Solution

I have some shelves in my dining room and have been trying to figure out what to display. For some time I had some old toys and Pez dispensers displayed. Also some other random glass vases. The space just wasn't working.

After cleaning out my kitchen, I have a new display and a less cluttered utensil drawer! I decided to display items that i actually use, but look nice! So now on the shelf are my vintage kitchen utensils, including my pastry cutter and hand crank egg beater. I want to get some sort of vintage ad, or photo for the back drop eventually, but for now it's at least better than it was. Also on another shelf I displayed my Vintage "lady things" collection. The collection includes garter straps in a cute envelope, a lady shick electric razor in a pillbox, a band aid tin and an old perfume bottle.

It's taken two years but the house is slowly starting to come together. I find it easier to change my house slowly, and have it come into it's own gradually.