Chicago!

Hubby and I are off on a jet plane this morning headed here for a few days!

I'm excited to play tourist and get some R & R!

I'll be back with a full vacay review.

Have a good weekend!

Our Guest Room: Some Updates

I've been making some progress in our guest space lately that I thought I would share with you today.

We are so, so happy to finally have a space designated just for our guests.

In our old home we had 4 bedrooms, and with three kiddos that left nowhere for our guests to really claim as their own space...to really put their things, hang their clothes up, relax, escape from my crazy kids, or get a restful, child-free sleep. Typically our guests are Grandparents, and no, they never complained about their lack of privacy, but I know it was not ideal having to sleep with a kiddo everynight (we always designated one of the kids rooms for them but eventually they would end up slpitting up and each of them having a "slumber" party with a child every night and playing musical bedrooms. Not fun for anyone (except maybe the kids!)

So, I've been working hard to make our new guest space into a retreat.  It's off of the house, but connected to the garage so it will be so nice to go to bed at night, get a restful sleep, and not hear any of our morning commotion until they decide they want to come in and join us.

We painted it a nice peaceful grey and bought a queen-sized bed (headboard from Pier1 Imports)...then it was time to accessorize!

I found the bedding at Home Goods and also the mirror (for only $29.99!)

The nightstands both came from Kirklands...you'll notice the pale cream one still has the tags attached...that's because I just picked it up today and I've already told you about my tendency to be a "cautious keeper" (I think this is a keeper though...it was a decent price at $69.99 and already assembled - score!)

A few more photos of the bed/bedding...

Here we are looking into the bathroom..also painted grey and accessorized with a pretty towel pattern (from Target)

I love banana leaf anything!

My in-laws are arriving in about 3 weeks so I have a few more things to finish up (add more drapery rings to my sad, sagging panels & install a wall-mounted TV).

I hope they enjoy their new space they'll have all to themselves!

Dining Room Inspiration & a Design Board (of course!)

With the painters busily painting their little hearts out this week, I've had some time to think about what I'd like to do in our dining room.

We currently do not have a dining room.

Well, I take that back.

We did have a dining room but when we moved into our current home I had it switched out into a den, a mama den if you will.

I had the chandelier placed in our master bedroom (which I've come to love by the way and am really going to miss it at our new place...maybe for mother's day I can ask for one at our new place), and I put a couch and a couple of reading chairs and bookcases in the room.

And I filled up the butlers pantry with all of my scrapbooking supplies. Which I have not touched since the day I unpacked them.

So, in our new home we have a dining room and I would like to utilize it for it's intended use.

I'm not talking about throwing any big extravagant, fancy parties...just some small dinner parties with friends.

Here's a few inspiration photos I came across, on Pinterest of course...

You'll notice that in mostly all of them the walls are grey and their is a round table. The chairs are all pretty similar too.

With those things in mind here's the design board I've put together...

Source List

Table: Haverty's

Bar console: Pottery Barn

Chairs (all): World Market

Curtains: Pottery barn

Fabric: Robert Allen Bicego Slate

Chandelier: unknown (the one pictured is similar to the one currently in the dining room)

Paint: Sherwin Williams - On The Rocks (SW 7671)

The paint is already on the walls and we already own the console/sideboard (it's a bar if you ask my husband) and curtains. And like I mentioned above, the chandelier is already in the dining room. Oh, and it's HUGE...like gigantic.  Not sure if it will stay or not but I pity the person who may have to remove it.

Obviously I am undecided on the chairs.

World Market has a fantastic sale going right now and I could purchase chairs at a decent price (admittedly they wouldn't be of top quality but I don't want to shell out a big chunk of change if we are hardly going to use the space). And hello...they're awfully pretty! Part of me loves the tufted grey and then part of me loves the linen look with the grey walls. Help.

And while on the topic of expenses while I just love the Robert Allen Bicego Slate fabric, it averages $75/yard...wowzers! I was hoping to use it for throw pillows on the chairs. Um yeah...those are going to be itty bitty pillows.

Here is a better pic of it so you can check it out (it really looks better in person, almost like the design is embroidered on and it's so silky)...

And then of course I'll need to choose a rug. I forgot about a rug...off to look at rugs now!

Have a great weekend!

Look What I Did All By Myself!

I know, I know...it's really not all that exciting to anyone but me...but look, it's a design board I put together! Hooray! I used Oilio and it was so simple to figure out!  This is my family room inspiration, and although I've shared most of the items on here already it's just sort of a "sample"...my first kick at the cat if you will. I can't wait to play around even more!

The Painters Have Arrived!

Hooray! Today the painters started working their magic!

They were supposed to start yesterday but with the holidays last week they were behind on a previous job and had to finish that up first. Wah waaah : (

But they were on my doorstep bright-eyed and bushy-tailed first thing this morning! And thankfully they're smart men who've been-there-done-that enough times to know that a woman's first paint choice is likely not going to be her last...and so they graced me with some paint samples on the walls before I gave them the green light.

This is my daughter's room...I'm so happy I chose the lightest turquoise on the color swatch...it really is going to be great

This is the living room...it is the perfect grey

Or so I thought.

Turns out it's a little more blue than grey...

And so I had the painter put the same grey next to it that I'm using in the boys rooms and bathroom...and as it turns out THAT is the "perfect" grey!

Next up is my oldest son's room...he wanted it to be entirely black.

Uh, no way, I told him.

So we compromised with black under the chair rail and the "perfect" grey over it.

He is wanting a hockey themed bedroom...I think it will look great once it's all put together!

And I'm bummed I didn't snap a quick pic of our hallway bathroom.  It's going to be a chocolate brown color.

I was a little nervous about it at first but once I saw the little sample of it on the wall I got really excited about it!  It's going to be a very rich color and great in a hallway/guest bath.

And here's a little sampling of what I've been up to in the family room...

I received my sofa table from Overstock and assembled it (all by myself!) yesterday. I also received my jute rug and laid that baby out under my hide rug. Love it!

I've ordered my second banana chair from Pier1 and it should arrive early next week.

Contemplating a mirror or that painting over the mantel...not quite sure what to do but I'm sure I'll make an easier decision once we get our sofas in there.

We're hoping to move in early next week...I can't wait!