Addicted to Pinterest

There are so many amazing things about Pinterest.  I'm not sure where to begin!!  If you haven't heard of Pinterest.com, it's pretty much the best site ever.  It's great for storing links and photos as well as gathering inspiration for whatever makes you happy.  Everything is super organized and easy to navigate.  I'm smitten!

One of my boards is called "quotable quotes" but it's really anything with words that catches my attention.  Here's a few pins that made it to the board.

 I also created a board that will help me plan my 10 year anniversary party.  I'm going BIG with this thing and Pinterest has been invaluable in picking everything from color to gathering ideas for food and attire.

 My favorite board might be the DIY one.  Pinterest is so awesome for this use because it not only gives you a visual to go by for DIY projects, it also gives you a link to the original DIY post.  I may get to these projects in 2 weeks or I might hold off for a year, but I know that however long I wait I'll be able to find the directions so easily now!

So, how about you?  Are you addicted to Pinterest yet as well?  Follow me and I'll follow you back!

From House To Home

I live in a cookie cutter house.  It's a great house! But it's a great, cookie cutter house.  I've put a lot of thought into how I could make this box of a house truly personal to us.  Besides some of the obvious things like adding crown molding and built-ins, I've decided to be a bit more purposeful with any art  I add to our walls.

I love the idea of personal art like family trees, framed heirlooms and even inside jokes when it comes to decorating.  Here's a few examples:

1.  Everyone who knows Andrew knows that he's a bit of a computer nerd.  It's one of my favorite things about him!  When other wives are spending their days hosting football parties for their husbands and all their friends, Andrew and I are playing video games together.  So much more fun!  When I started talking about decorating our new home, Andrew was a bit worried that he wasn't going to be represented well in the house because his interests didn't seem to fit with my love for french antiques.  When you think of computers, you think modern and cold.  But that is exactly opposite of what I want our home to feel like.  I tried to reassure him one evening by buying these amazing jars from Anthropologie in binary code pattern.  It's my style, but his passion.  Needless to say, he LOVED it and has since then given me much more freedom because he knows he won't be left out!

2.  I love old textures and numbers.  But there is absolutely no reason to plaster your walls with numerals if there's no purpose behind it, right?  These numbers made it into our master bedroom decor because they are the numbers of our anniversary.  Not everyone will know that, but when we look at it it will mean something!

3.  Every once in a great while I rummage through my mom's basement (particularly the cellar), find something amazing like this, and then ask her why in the world she isn't displaying it.  "Oh, that old thing? You can HAVE it. It's old."  hahahaha We are so opposite!  This particular find was my grandmother's and I will cherish it always.

That's just three of the ways I'm adding a personal mark on our home.  I can't wait to share more with you. :)  I'd also love love love to hear your ideas on how to make a house a home, so comment away!

Design 101: Splurge or Save...or Both

We've been making some higher end purchases for the house.  I've talked about the couch and the bed, but there have been a few others.  It has most definitely put a dent in our wallets!  What keeps me sane, though, is knowing that I can splurge on quality pieces that will last while saving on accessories and art that I will want to change out frequently anyway, all while staying within a room's budget.

Our master bedroom budget is $2,500.  That is about a third of what most of the shows on HGTV get for a room makeover, just to put things into perspective.  My big purchases (splurges) are as follows:

bed - $1500
curtains - $285

That doesn't leave a whole lot of wiggle room for the budget, I realize!  Here's how I justify it.  A bed is something you will always need.  It's a staple in any home.  If you pick a bed that is good quality wood/material and a design that is classic, that bed has the potential to stay with you for fifty years.  The curtains, although a splurge for me, are not a splurge as far as curtains tend to go.  I just had no idea they were so dern expensive.

Here's the rest:

dressers - $200 at a yard sale
side tables - FREE (family pieces)
paint - $65
wainscotting and crown molding - $175
accessories (including wall art) - $100
lamps - $80
chandelier - $100

I already owned most of what was on the art wall, so accessories ended up being less than I thought.  Which means I'm only $5 over budget!  Which means if I watch it, I might be able to buy something fun as well.  You know...like a little black dress or something.  I love budgeting. ;)

Design 101: Finding A Color Palette

I have known what colors I'd like to use in our master bedroom for years.  Years before yellow was in style and on every magazine cover.  Why?  Because I love yellow.  I love how it makes me feel.  I realize that sounds like a response you'd get from a child, and it is.  It has ALWAYS been my favorite color, so why wouldn't it be the accent color of the most personal room in my house?  I also realize this post is not the textbook on how to pick a color palette.  To be honest, I don't really agree with the color wheel theory on picking colors.  It's what you learn in design school, but it's soooo in the box.  Take me out of the box, please!

So if not the color wheel, how do I pick color?  By how it makes me feel.  Go ahead and think I'm crazy, but when I thought about our dream master bedroom, I first thought of how I wanted to feel when I walked in there and spent some time.  I wanted it to be cheery and calming at the same time.  I wanted it to be comfortable and clean feeling.

cheery - yellow
calming - gray (the easiest color for your eyes to look at and the only true neutral)
comfortable - brown
clean - white

Yes, please!  In other rooms of the house I may use other palette finding methods.  Color inspiration can be found from clothes, photos, fabric, a piece of furniture, temperature, or really anything else that you love or catches your eye!  I want to hear from you - how do you pick colors for your house?