Come On In...Foyer Decorating

After we moved in last year and had an entire house to fill and furniture to fit in a 900 sq. ft. apartment, I went to work decorating - but mainly just the necessities. Couches, dining room table, a bed. A picture here and there in the main living space. After a long hiatus, I'm jumping back in.

We have a good size foyer that has sat totally empty since July. This bothered me zero until I got last months edition of Southern Living with an article that droned on about the entryway being the introduction to your house, blah, blah, blah. Well, it was enough for me to get off my tail and move forward with the never ending process of making the house a home.

I love looking at furniture and decorations. Actually pulling the trigger, I get gun shy. Here's a few things I'm eyeing.

Sources: Rugs from overstock.com. We got our living room rug there and it's held up really well, and you can't beat the price. Or the $2.95 shipping.The antique dresser is from a local antique shop. If you live in Birmingham, you need to check it out. They have some really cool stuff. Chairs from Target and World Market. As you can see, I'm not a decorating snob.

It's sitting in my foyer now on approval, and I'm about 98% sure it'll stay there. It was a steal. The wall it sits on is pretty long, so for this piece to work, I'm thinking it needs to be flanked by chairs. Aka, more shopping, more decisions.

Foyer wall on right. Excuse the total disaster - this was the best picture I could find and it is from move in weekend.

I was sold on the morrocan patterened rug, but then I found the patterened chairs I loved. Can you mix patterns? This space needs a little color, as the walls are gray as well.

What's a girl to do? Does anyone have any decoarting savvy they want to loan me? I'll take it on approval as well.

Weekend Update

This won't be as funny as the real weekend update. Heck, it's probably not funny at all. Because we had a very adult weekend.

Moving on...

In preparation for the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS that were certainly coming Saturday, I laced up my running shoes for my long (read: 5 mile) run after work on Friday. Not to be dramatic, but never in the history of my running life have I run on Friday after work. It's simply not done. But, I'm 30 now, and this is my definintion of mixing it up. Youth: consider yourself warned.

My efforts were rewarded with this jam session on the way home. 80s on 8 for the win.

This was about as excited as Namath got for the weekend. Which is about three levels more excited than he's been all week. (Read: He's been going in the guest bathroom and closing the door behind him and sitting alone in the dark. He's a joy.)

 I'll confess - 85% of my reason for a Friday run was to sleep in (read: 8 a.m.) Saturday and then lounge around with a cup of coffee while MS played early morning basketball. My plains were foiled when there was no creamer in the house. Not even milk. The humanity!

 In the midst of making a milk run in my PJs, I noticed everyone's yard looked so nice. Ours did not.

So, we exchanged the lazy Saturday for a trip to Home Depot for materials. Nothing makes me feel less smart than the gardening department at Home Depot. Basically, we followed people around that looked like they knew what they were doing and tried to eavesdrop. Well, I did anyways.

We ended up with two knockout rose bushes, salvia for the front pots and 13 bags of mulch.

It's an improvement. Now it can rain. Since it didn't Saturday.

We ended the weekend with Mad Men. Nothing takes the sting out of a Sunday night like an Old Fashioned and Don Draper in a tux.

Don't try this remedy for a Monday morning. Unless you're unemployed, or want to be.
Happy Monday:)

Deck the Halls

Today I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner - Christmas Tour of Homes.

We've had fun getting the house ready for Christmas this year. We decorated our first two (?!) Christmas' at the apartment, but we were working in a small space, so it really stifled my creativity. Let's be honest. Pinterest wasn't around.

This is the stairway when you first walk in. This project was super easy, once I stole the idea from a friend and found the greenery I wanted. We have worn out Hobby Lobby since Thanksgiving.

 Close up. These are tied together with florist wire, which is covered with the wired lime green ribbon. I think you could add some twigs and lose the ornaments and keep these up through January, if your heart desired.

 
The tree. I love the bright colors. We have a lot of white and gray in our house, so it's nice to have some pops of color through the holidays.

Namath approves...we think. He's really fascinated with the Eiffel Tower ornament. He's European like that.

 

One of our Christmas platters on display. Our dining room table is set with our  Christmas dishes, which naturally, I didn't take a picture of. It's Mandy Bagwell Simply Christmas.

I don't know how people decorated pre-YouTube and Pinterest. Or spray paint. This post might as well be called, "How to Decorate with Spray Paint."

This little project was a labor of love to get it just right. I went through enough silver spray paint to stage a Lady GaGa concert. In the end, I was pleased with the result.

Since I had all that silver spray paint, back to Pinterest I went. Sadly, I was lacking empty wine bottles - which seems impossible. But, in the spirit of Christmas, I managed to come up with two more.

I was trying to recreate the bottle in the front that I had seen and loved. So, when I got it as a housewarming gift literally the day after completing this project, well, it just thrilled my soul.

The full mantle. My mom decorated these ornament balls with, you guessed it, spray paint. We've got a few variations of silver going on, but I'm telling my OCD self that variety is the spice of life, so as not to end up painting. Again.

Once all the decorations are up, it's time to head over to the bar.

 If you're lucky, you'll find some of Martha's eggnog. Just a little bit, because this is serious stuff.

We came away with this ornament at a dirty Santa swap two years ago. I love it, and had to find a place besides the tree to display it.

No matter how pitiful the face, or what that ornament says, you don't have to share.

Like most people, Christmas cards are one of my favorite part of Christmas. I used that same green ribbon from the stairway, secured it to the pantry door and voila, Christmas card display.

Is there anything better than sitting by the Christmas tree at night?

Thanks for stopping by, and Merry Christmas, from our house to yours!

Distressed

Somehow this week totally got away from me.

Last week, MS was gone alllll week long. Grizz spent allllll week alone in the guest bathroom. It didn't hurt my feelings in the slightest.

 

 As soon as I picked him up from the airport, we hit some stores to search for a piece of furniture for this space.

Somehow, I haven't seen the cable-wires-and-dog-bed looked in any of my recent Pottery Barn or Southern Living magazines.

 I knew we wanted something distressed and didn't have many requirements other than hold the cable box in one way or another. In a roundabout way, we found a piece here and snatched it up on Sunday.

  It was listed on the website as sold, so when we found out it never got picked up, it seemed to be meant to be. Love the tongue and groove look on the side, and the top is brown leather.

 Speaking of distressed, Grizz was none too happy that we had the nerve to MOVE HIS BED TO THE WHOLE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIREPLACE. If the Israelites can cross the desert, I have faith he can navigate himself to his new spot.

She had a couple more pieces I have my eye on. I thought she did great work and had some unique pieces. If you're in the area...

The rest of the week got sucked up in excel, meetings and proofing, but thankfully the weekend is here with plenty of time to spend  admiring my distressed furniture and distressed animal. Happy Friday!

Wordless Wednesday

From here....

 
to here....

 
Signed, sealed, delivered...it's ours!

Big Week

After months and months and months of saving, picking out finishes, trips to the house, a move into storage and dog orthopedic surgery, the week has arrived....we are closing Friday!

 We've transferred the money, scheduled movers and deliveries all for Saturday. We'll be impatiently waiting on the weekend.

Well, most of us.

 Friday we were a little paint and a major clean up short of finishing. And all God's people said, "AMEN."

Come this time next week, maybe I'll have some decent pictures of progress to share.

Trimmed Up

 It's starting to get really exciting venturing out to the construction zone. Not that a roof isn't exciting, but not as exciting as seeing the selections go up and in.

Friday, the dormers were in. Paint coming soon.

 As I made my way through the work zone in heels, the stair railing was going up. They asked if this was my house. Yes, what do you think I wander through other people's houses? No comment.

 The garage was being used as a wood shop for tongue and groove (left) and wainscoting (right)
 

 Which had gone up by Saturday. We went with Franklin bead board, which is pretty tall and has a deep enough shelf to set pictures. I'm thinking of doing a gallery of the Grizz. I kid.

 

 The tongue and groove had begun as well

 And let's not forget about the Great Wall. It got a little extra attention too, with the beginning of brick columns. I was assured it would look very "Tuscan". As Tuscan as a cement wall in the heart of the suburbs can look, I suppose. Bring on the Chianti.

This week...cabinets and tile. Namath will have a cool place to nap, and I'll have a cool place to store food. Everyone's happy.

It's a (correct color) Brick House

   Although I wish I was on some beach somewhere, this sand makes me pretty happy too, because it means bricking has started!

 And after last week's panic that our Savannah Gray brick was Savannah Red, they sent the brick vendor out to confirm. As soon as I saw it on the house, I realized it was right and the worry was all for nothing. As are most things I worry about.

We were so pleased at the way it turned out, and it was exactly what I had in mind with the color we chose for the hardy plank.

 If you look really close, you can see the sheet rock in each room. This is exciting to no one but me...but I have high hopes for walls by next weekend. The brick fiasco was put to rest just in time for me to panic about paint colors. I'm sure MS is loving this process.

Will be directing movers through this front door in no time.

 Movers are perhaps the best money I've ever spent. Cue Namath pouting. Besides Namath, of course.
 

 

 Five weeks from closing, that's where we stand. I've never built a house, but I'm wishing and hoping that this is realistic.

Raise the Roof

You can go ahead and deduct 50 cool points for the blog title. But blog titles are hard. Sorry.

It's Monday, so you know I have to report back on the new address. This weather may not be good for flowers, crops or lakes, but its pretty good for house building.

Wednesday afternoon.

Sunday afternoon.

My weather app tells me its looking good for shingles and a wrap this week.

Welcome to our casa...let me guide you through the frame.

 If we have a winter this year...fireplace/smore maker.

 View from the master, laundry room then garage. Master bath to the right, kitchen and living room to the left.

 Man cave. Attic space straight ahead.

 To the left of the man cave, upstairs bedrooms and bath. A whole level just for Namath.

Looking across the street from the upstairs bedroom.

And down the street, with an appearance from my thumb.

One of the best parts of the house...the pantry. Looking into the downstairs guest bathroom and bedroom.

Is the floor plan clear as mud now?

Would you think it weird if I told you one of the best parts of this visit was realizing our previously thought odd numbered address is now even? I don't like odd numbers.

It's hard to believe how far we've come in 4 years. And some change.

Home Sweet Home.