Bedroom progress is still under way but let’s talk about my bed, shall we? Seeing as how there were a bunch of questions about it on the recent update post.

The bed itself is West Elm’s chunky wood bed frame {no longer available} in queen. When HH and I first got married we bought a cheap metal four poster bed from JCPenney. It was white and had intricate swirly designs that we soon realized weren’t our style. at. all. As you do when you’re 24 and making mistakes in your first house. We lived with the bed for 7+ years. A few years back, it was time to upgrade our mattress and we decided to shop for a bed frame that better suited our taste. We fell in love with this chunky platform frame and never looked back. We use a low profile 5″ box spring to give it a little more height and support but it isn’t necessary. We love this bed frame. It has been with us in two houses and one apartment now and has held up really well. I don’t know that we’ll ever buy another bed.

In our previous home, we crafted a reclaimed wood headboard from old fence boards. Within weeks, that headboard was plastered all over the internet and it’s weird to see it pop up on pinterest from time to time when I’m browsing. Some say it even sparked the reclaimed wood headboard trend. The headboard held a lot of meaning for us but it wasn’t quite wide enough for our queen bed and it wasn’t all that comfortable to lean back on for nighttime reading. Last summer it was auctioned off {along with a slew of other decor-related items} to help raise money for cancer treatment for a friend from high school.

Before we moved into our current home, I snatched up a curvy leather headboard for cheap from Ballard Designs outlet in West Chester, Ohio. It was a lovely headboard but once it was in place under the bedroom window, it was clear that it didn’t belong in the space. We needed something with cleaner lines. I was happy to discover that West Elm still offered headboards compatible with our chunky bed frame. I chose the nailhead upholstered headboard in brushed heather cotton, grey haze. It wasn’t cheap but if I’ve learned anything over the last 10+ years it’s that having a cozy, cushy spot to rest your head at night really does make you happier. {If you’re up for it – clearly, I wasn’t – upholstered headboards are totally DIYable as a less expensive option.} The headboard attaches directly to our bed frame so there’s no wobbling. It’s very sturdy and the brushed cotton has a luxe, soft feel. The nailhead trim is a classic touch. I don’t know that we’ll ever buy another headboard.

With our forever bed in place, it was time to consider bedding. For the past 5 years, we’ve had an inexpensive white IKEA duvet on our bed. It wasn’t bad; it wasn’t great. I’ve always been a fan of Dwell Studio bedding. When I came across the ash draper stripe duvet, I thought the horizontal stripes would help our narrow bedroom look wider. And if not, well, I’ve never met a stripe I didn’t like.

HH and I are smitten with the duvet set. It’s a high quality brushed cotton that looks and feels better and better with each washing – sort of like good linen. The duvet holds our down comforter snugly which is something the IKEA duvet didn’t do. With our old duvet, the comforter was constantly shifting and bunching. The buttoned opening is concealed under the saffron border so there aren’t any gaping holes in plain sight. Speaking of the saffron border, the product pics online portray it as more citron than saffron but it’s definitely saffron / gold in person. I didn’t edit any of the images in this post so you can see the true colors. The stripes are heathered brown / taupe and ivory.

We use our same white sheets we’ve always had but I sandwiched an organic blanket between the top sheet and duvet. On mild nights, I fold the duvet up at the foot of the bed and we just use the blanket and sheet to sleep. This knit blanket is awesome. {Yes, it’s Threshold and, no, this isn’t a plug for Threshold. I really do buy their stuff!} Like the duvet, it gets softer every time I wash it. For the quality, I expected a higher price but it was only $40.

Do you recognize the throw pillow from last week’s etsy crush? It’s hemp with vintage embroidery. It has a great nubby texture but isn’t scratchy or coarse.

Apparently, the embroidered detail was part of a tribal skirt from North Vietnam. I love that it adds subtle pattern, color and texture to the bedding but doesn’t “match.”  The black lines pick up on the slate windowsills and ribbon detail of the ceiling light.

I have to say that after 10+ years of not giving our bedroom the same attention as the rest of the house {until recently, our bedroom was mostly made up of displaced furniture & cheap decor}, it literally feels good to have a respectable place to retreat to at the end of the day. After the kids are in bed, we find ourselves running to our bedroom to read and talk and HH and I have both noticed improved sleep since sprucing up our room. It doesn’t seem to matter that there are minor details left to tackle. It’s becoming one of our favorite rooms in the house.

I think in the past we neglected or took the cheap way out on our bedroom because it wasn’t a space that others saw as prominently as, say, our living room or kitchen. What we’re learning is that a room’s worth shouldn’t be based on how many visitors see it. {Um, we don’t have a lot of bedroom visitors.} Instead, a room that we spend a third of our day in – even if the majority of that time is spent sleeping – is totally worthy of decorating. We are worthy of a nice bedroom. How have we missed this over the last decade?! Oh, right, “the kids” excuse. No more excuses!

Thanks to Wayfair for supporting my habit.

Click to see who won last week’s MADHOUSE giveaway.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

This week I couldn’t resist sharing a pillow shop. I recently purchased a pillow cover from Oriental Tribe 11 for our master bedroom and I’m so happy with it! Take a gander at which one lives on my bed now…

Oriental Tribe 11 features pillow covers made from tribal textiles – many of them from traditional Hmong batiks. I love all the unique patterns, colors and embroidery work. They have a casual vibe with a playful, bohemian look. I can’t help but think of Amber’s design aesthetic. These are definitely pillows that could carry a room.

So now tell me, are you a pillow researcher too? I can’t be the only one.

images: Oriental Tribe 11

Congrats to Susan who enjoys entertaining with friends on her deck overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains!

T minus 8 days until the official first day of summer! Are you ready for some outdoor entertaining? I’m with you. For al fresco dining, paper products are convenient and budget-friendly but sometimes lack style. Not so with the new MADHOUSE collections from Michael Aram.

MADHOUSE is a line of upscale yet affordable, disposable and semi-permanent serveware. The graphics are modern, elegant and inspired by nature. The cutlery even resembles twigs! Perfect for eating outside. I asked if MADHOUSE would be up for a little giveaway and they are happy to hook up one lucky reader – just in time for summer’s start. See entry details below.

PRIZE: dinnerware and cutlery from the MADHOUSE Lemonwood collection {my personal favorite!} to serve 8. Includes 8 paper dinner plates, 8 paper luncheon plates, 16 luncheon napkins, 24 beverage napkins, 16 guest towels, 2 cutlery sets and an all purpose melamine bowl. {$60 retail value}

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a shipping address {no P.O. boxes please} within the U.S. One entry per email address.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “STICK A FORK IN IT!”

DEADLINE: Enter before noon EST on Monday, June 17th. One random winner will be announced later that same day.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: What outdoor entertaining do you have planned for the summer? Pool party? Casual cookouts with friends or neighbors? Outdoor movie night? C’mon summer.

Yeah, it’s not done.

But I did remove the shoe cabinet and octagon mirror. And put down a clean beach towel along the bottom of the front door. AND I think my photography skills are improving. Yay for shooting towards a large window! Sometimes, it’s the little things people. Oh, and for those of you on Team Original Door…we’re gonna do it. We’re going to try to salvage it.

About the shoe cabinet and mirror…the shoe cabinet is from IKEA. It has a slim profile and holds a minimum of eight pairs of shoes. It’s great but I think it was a little wide for the space between the front door and picture window. The octagon mirror was a Ballard Designs outlet find a few years back and it used to live in our previous master bedroom. I love the mirror but the octagonal shape next to the rectangular door with square windows was throwing me into a shape-induced tizzy.

So where did the shoe cabinet and mirror end up? Not on Craigslist. Not in the attic with all the other “I like this but I don’t know exactly where to put it right now so let’s just throw it in the attic” stuff.

I moved the cabinet and mirror to our bedroom. I feel good about them there. The slim profile of the cabinet makes it easy to slip by on the way to the closet or bed and the mirror helps reflect at least a little light around the north-facing room. I’m glad I hung the curtains before relocating the cabinet and mirror. I think I would have been inclined to center the cabinet on the wall between the closet and door but with the curtains in place, it looks better centered between the curtain edge and the door. That’s a difference of several inches. {The curtain rod and curtains extend ~10″ past the closet opening.} Otherwise, the cabinet would have sat too far left.

I had been waiting for HH to move the cabinet and mirror but today I was motivated to DIM {do it myself}. It wasn’t that difficult but I did run into a problem when I remembered the wall was one of the few remaining original plaster walls. The shoe cabinet was easy. It has a support spanning the width of the cabinet behind the doors and I drilled through it into two studs. The mirror was a different story. I was able to hit a stud for one of the wall hangers on the back of the mirror. For the other one, I had to pre-drill a hole, insert a wall anchor and fasten a screw. Not awful but it did take longer than expected {mostly because I had to scavenge the messy garage for wall anchors}… which means the kids got antsy and I got flustered. But I got ‘er done.

I’m hoping to make time for a little bedroom styling within the next week or so. This room is getting so close! I need something on top of the cabinet to connect it to the mirror {think overlap the mirror} and I have an urge to paint the knobs gold.

I haven’t quite figured out what to do with the now empty space next to the front door. Simple picture frames with a large basket on the floor to catch guests’ shoes {someday when the door is fixed}? A small entry cabinet/console on the wall? I like the idea of less versus more. While I was organizing the attic last week, I rediscovered some decor items that I want to incorporate in the house. Maybe I can make something we already own work. There’s nothing like shopping your attic for free decor!

Have you ever transplanted stuff from one room to another? For me, this was like killing two birds with one stone. I freed up visual space near the front door and added shoe storage and a light reflecting mirror to our bedroom in one fell swoop. Wait, is that three birds?

FYI – I’m sharing what HH wants for father’s day here. Maybe it will give you some ideas for your baby daddy.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Last week was my kids’ first full week of summer break which happened to coincide with one of HH’s business trips. I decided it would also be a good time to sort through the mess that was our attic. After herding the kids and staying up well past 1:00 a.m. every night for the past week to wrestle the attic into submission, my brain is mush. But the attic is looking fantastic! As far as attics go.

Thank goodness the nearest IKEA is only 25 minutes away. I took advantage of IKEA’s kids-eat-free-horse-meat-Tuesdays amidst the chaos and a few things {that cost less than $20!} caught my eye while we were there.

SNIKA boxes // Seriously considering these for storage in my boys’ bedroom.

TOLSBY frame // You guys, these are only 99¢! They are made of plastic {i.e. super kid-friendly} but look ceramic and I think they would look way more grown up with a coat or two of gold spray paint.

KVISSLE steel & cork box // Visible, tangled cords drive me bonkers. This sleek box hides all that. Great for a desk or charging station.

FARKOST wall lamp // I’m loving the new swing arm lamps flanking our bed but they were a splurge. For an inexpensive version, you could spray paint these bad boys gold. I love that they are adjustable so you can direct light where you need it.

SKÄRBLAD pillow cover // It’s a 20″x 20″ pillow cover and it’s $5. Why wouldn’t I love it?! I tried really hard to think up a place in my house for one or two of these pillows but, sadly, could not.

While we were at IKEA, I did grab a few things for mine and HH’s bedroom and the boys’ bedroom. Can’t wait to show you!

Here‘s your Mod MomME winner!

images: IKEA

Congrats to Charlotte whom advises cloth-diapering parents to buy diapers in gender neutral colors so they can be used on future kids or sold to folks with boys or girls.

A few weeks ago I featured the etsy shop Mod MomME. {Btw, etsy crush posts are not sponsored and I only feature shops I have bought from or would like to buy from.} After the post, I was contacted by Mod MomME’s owner asking if I’d be game for a giveaway. Yes!

I talked a little about my experience with cloth diapering earlier today and this giveaway relates to the topic. See entry details below.

PRIZE: one wet bag of choice from Mod MomME {The wet bag that leaked on me didn’t hail from Mod MomME.} Wet bags are great for soiled cloth diapers, messy accidents, sweaty gym clothes and wet swimsuits.

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a U.S. shipping address. No P.O. boxes please. One entry per email address.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “PEEYEW!”

DEADLINE: Enter before noon EST on Monday, June 10th. One random winner will be chosen and announced later that same day.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: Since we’re talking cloth diapers today…any tips for fellow cloth diaperers out there? I shared my thoughts here.

image: Mod MomME

I use cloth diapers on Mabrey. Back when my boys {ages 8 and 5} were babies, cloth diapers weren’t on my radar. None of my mom friends were using them and they weren’t as popular as they are now. When I found out I was pregnant for the third time, I knew I wanted to give cloth diapering a try. My motive was strictly economical. HH and I had decided I would quit my job to stay home with the kids after #3 was born. That meant our household income would be cut in half. I was looking for any way to save money. Cloth diapers seemed like the way to go. Keeping disposals out of landfills and chemicals off our baby’s bum were just added bonuses. Now that I’ve been using cloth diapers for over a year, I thought I’d share what works for me.

1. I use organic bumGenius cloth diapers. We bought a dozen at $25 a pop. That seems like a lot to spend at once but when you do the math they pay for themselves after roughly 4 months of use compared to disposables. And since they’re one size fits all, we can use them up until Mabrey is potty trained. I didn’t know Mabrey’s gender before birth and I bought the white, butternut, clementine, grasshopper and ribbit colors. After a year of use, all twelve diapers are in excellent condition – no rips, no tears, no stains. They are all one piece – no absorbent layers to add, no separate outer cover. I would highly recommend them!

2. I started cloth diapering when Mabrey was ~3 months old. The three month mark was ideal for us. That’s when the cloth diapers fit Mabrey’s petite legs and that’s also about the time her diaper changes consisted of less #2 and more #1. Her diaper changes were becoming less frequent then too. To be honest, when I was just starting out with the cloth diapers sometimes I wished I had six more on hand so I didn’t have to wash them so often but I stuck it out and now twelve is the perfect number.

3. We installed a diaper sprayer on our toilet to rinse the cloth diapers. I don’t rinse #1 diapers – only #2′s – and I rinse them right away if I can. The diaper sprayer works great for this. Basically, I dump the solid waste into the toilet and flush. Then I give the diaper a good spray with the toilet sprayer making sure to rinse away any remaining waste. HH isn’t keen on rinsing poopy diapers so this usually falls on me. When I told him he had to hold the diaper down in the toilet to rinse it {not up above the toilet like he was initially doing and subsequently sprayed the entire bathroom}, he was like “what?!” But that’s what you have to do. Rinsing dirty diapers in a toilet isn’t my favorite thing to do but I tell myself it’s one less diaper I have to buy. After the diaper is rinsed, I spray a little Bac-Out on it, put it in a plastic bag and place it on a rolling cart next to the dryer in the laundry room until wash day. {If it’s just a pee diaper, I roll it up and place it on the cart unbagged.} At first, I had a wet bag to throw rinsed diapers in but after only three washes it started leaking and that was the end of that.

4. I use vinegar and Charlie’s soap powder to wash the cloth diapers. We have a front loading washer. Before I wash the diapers, I usually throw them in the washer with ¼ cup of distilled white vinegar on the soak cycle. This cycle can be pretty lengthy so if I’m in a hurry, I’ll skip this step but it does help strip the diapers of funky smells. Next, I wash the diapers with Charlie’s in cold water + an added rinse cycle. Then I wash the diapers with 50% less Charlie’s in hot water. If it’s cold or rainy, I throw the diapers in the dryer. Otherwise, I line dry them. Sunlight is the best natural bleaching agent! FYI – I know Bac-Out and Charlie’s seem expensive but I’ve only had to buy one bottle of Bac-Out and three containers of Charlie’s in the past year! A little goes a long way.

It does take a little planning on my part to wash the diapers at the right time so I have a few clean diapers on hand to use. When I notice that I’m down to two clean diapers, I’ll throw in a load of dirties. That’s usually enough to get me by until the dirties are clean. If I know I won’t be using cloth diapers for an extended period of time {i.e., we’ll be out of the house most of the following day for whatever reason}, I’ll wait until all twelve diapers are dirty to wash them. Typically, I’m washing cloth diapers every two days. Which brings me to #5…

A side note: Charlie’s soap powder contains coconut so if your baby is allergic to coconut, you’ll want to use something else.

5. I don’t cloth diaper 100% of the time. It’s more like 80% and it varies from day to day. If we’re going to be out of the house for longer than an hour or two, I’ll usually throw a disposable on Mabrey. I keep only disposables in the diaper bag. I also put disposables on her at night to avoid leaks. I used to feel guilty about not using cloth diapers all the time but it’s much easier on me this way. Running around town with three kids and dirty cloth diapers isn’t fun {there’s nowhere to rinse diapers in public} and changing crib bedding every morning from a leaky overnight diaper isn’t my idea of a good time either. So I always have a small box of disposables on hand. At first, I bought the jumbo boxes but I was having a hard time using up all the disposables before Mabrey outgrew that size. For instance, I would buy a jumbo box of size 2 diapers but Mabrey would need size 3′s before I had used up all the size 2′s. I don’t let myself feel guilty now. I’m still saving money and putting less waste into landfills.

6. Cloth diapers don’t give Mabrey a rash. When I tell people that I’m cloth diapering Mabrey, they usually ask if she has problems with diaper rash. Contrary to popular belief, diaper rashes aren’t a problem. In fact, the only time she gets a diaper rash is when she wears disposables. I think this myth about cloth diapers causing diaper rashes dates back to when folks were using bleach to clean cloth diapers. Even then, I don’t think it was the diaper causing the rash. Most likely, it was the bleach.

7. Cloth diapers look way cuter than disposables. They just do. Sometimes I use Mabrey’s cloth diaper as part of her outfit and forgo bottoms all together.

8. After Mabrey is potty trained, I plan to pass down or sell the cloth diapers. Cloth diapers are durable and long-lasting. There’s no reason why they can’t be used on subsequent babies. Neither of my sisters have children yet. When the time comes, I’d be more than happy to give them our cloth diapers if they choose to go that route. If not, I’ll sell them.

That’s cloth diapering from my point of view. I understand that it’s not for everyone. If you’re working out of the house, some caregivers won’t cloth diaper. It does take a little extra work but it’s become part of my everyday and I don’t really notice it anymore. What I do notice is that I’m not buying diapers every week {maybe once a month?} and that makes me happy.

If you’re interested in cloth diapering, be sure to check back later today for a giveaway related to the subject!

I was not compensated in any way for this post. Just sharing what works for me.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

We bought nightstands, organized the closet, hung an awkward curvy headboard under the window and pretty much lived with it like that for the past year. But I finally said to HH, “Enough is enough! Time to make this a room we want to sleep in every night.” I’ve slowly been acquiring pieces over the past six months and recently repainted. This past weekend we got around to hanging window treatments and installing new lighting. We’re not done with the room just yet but take a peek.

Clearly, I am still in the process of fine tuning the details {nightstand styling, hemming curtains, adding accessories, etc.} but I am already in love with this room.

It’s so weird. I had envisioned a dark and moody bedroom but somehow I ended up with a calm and airy one. If it had been totally up to me, I would have gone for those dark walls but HH was leery and told me more than once he didn’t want to feel like he was sleeping in a cave. So we went lighter and I’m surprised by how much I like it! The wall color {Benjamin Moore half moon crest} reminds me of a light gray-blue oxford shirt and it’s growing on me. Big time.

We hung a curtain rod above the closet and added four floor-to-ceiling curtains. It’s so nice not to see our jumble of clothes from bed.

The panels easily slide over to give us access to the closet. We thought doors would have been too cumbersome and we like how the curtains balance out the window on the other side of the room. And hanging the curtains high on the wall go a long way in making the room feel bigger.

We hung woven blinds and curtains on the window opposite the closet. The plan is to embellish the plain white curtains {maybe on the closet too?} with ribbon or something. And hem them. Obviously. I always like to wash, dry, iron and hang curtains BEFORE I hem them so I know they aren’t going to shrink up on me.

Ideally, I wouldn’t put my bed under a window unless it was architecturally interesting but we don’t really have a choice in this room. I tried to make the most of it. I looked at a bunch of pictures online of beds in front of windows. Many of them showed curtains falling behind the headboard but they were a little too fussy for me. The images I liked most were of simply dressed windows. So we just hung some woven blinds and called it a day. I like the texture and laid back feel of the shade.

We also switched out the curvy headboard for a straighter one to help the bed “fit” under the window better. I made sure to find one that wouldn’t overlap with the window. We love the original slate windowsills and like showing them off.

Our bedroom receives very little natural light. To keep it bright, good artificial lighting is a must. We added a new ceiling fixture, a table lamp on a dresser on the other side of the room and two swing arm lamps flanking the bed. The swing arm lamps are my favorite pieces in the room and are super functional for two like-to-read-in-bed kinda people. I actually ordered the wall lamps back in January and they’ve been sitting boxed on our dresser up until a few days ago. I was waiting to paint and receive our new headboard before we hung them. There has been a running joke in our bedroom for the past several months…

HH, trying to read his Handyman magazine by the light of a lone lightbulb on the ceiling: Boy, it sure would be nice to have some reading lights in here.

Me: Technically, we do have reading lights in here. They’re just in boxes.

The lamps support up to 75W which is more than enough for nighttime reading. The arm and shade are adjustable but I need to WD40 them. They’re a little stiff. I was this close to ordering the lamps in silver. That was my initial safe choice. But I am so glad I went for the antique brass. They feel so grown up. And I do turn 35 this year. Now if I could only keep my teenaged inappropriate humor under wraps…NAH. Borrrrrrrrring. {In my defense, I did just quell the urge to throw in a “that’s not the only stiff thing in the bedroom” joke. So sorry.}

The room is narrow so I thought horizontal striped bedding would make it feel wider. Plus, I never met a stripe I didn’t like.

I know you guys probably have a bunch of questions about where I got what but, if you don’t mind, I’d rather address those in a true “after” post. Especially since I’ll be adding in more accessories. But if there is something you are just itching to get your hands on, ask in the comments and I’ll be sure to source it for you. I just couldn’t wait any longer to share how things are looking.

In the meantime, I’ll be hanging out in my bedroom tweaking ’til my heart’s content. It’s funny. I used to blaze through this room on the way to the bathroom {the other bathroom is still gutted} and do my nighttime reading in the living room on the sofa but, now, I want to be in this room all. the. time. And it’s not even done.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Many of you commented on the framed photo of my kids above my dresser. It is my favorite picture of them all together and I took it myself. One day a few months back I spontaneously decided to have an impromptu photo session with them. My goal was to capture their individual personalities and how they look in real life. No fancy clothes, no staged props, no overpowering scenery.

We didn’t leave the house and I didn’t even attempt to tame anyone’s hair. I threw white undershirts on the boys and put Mabrey in a white onesie. I had the boys climb into Mabrey’s crib with her {the boys love hanging out with M in her bed} and then I started snapping. The only prompt I gave the boys was to lean their heads in towards Mabrey. Somehow I ended up with that shot above. It portrays each child how I see them everyday. Everett is comical, rowdy, LOUD, sometimes uncooperative but truly sweet. Mabrey always wants to be in the mix with her brothers. With them, she is happy and bubbly. Without them, she is bored and unimpressed. She has the most amazing denim blue eyes and pouty pink lips which can melt our hearts with just one smile. Layne is a thinker and a builder. He’s smart, inquisitive, honest and loves to read. Did you gather all that from the picture? Ha!

After a successful {and quick! – photo ops with kids never last long} group shot, I though I’d try some individual shots while everyone was still content. I started with Mabrey.

Mabrey loves balls {you know what I mean} so I let her hold one. When she’s really excited about something, Mabrey sticks her legs straight out in front of her and taps her heels on the ground. That’s what she was doing here. {These were taken back before she was walking.} I love her toes in this shot. Mabrey’s toes are all the same length and they’re all very long.

Those eyes.

With the boys, I asked them to tell me jokes while I snapped away. Here, Everett is scheming his joke.

…and animatedly delivering it. Dimples!

He is his biggest fan. Other than me.

Layne is thinking up his joke. Those eyelashes are going to charm a girl someday.

And the delivery…with missing teeth and all.

These pictures aren’t perfect. The lighting isn’t ideal. There are shadows and blurs. But these weren’t taken to capture perfection. I strongly dislike it when people try to make kids take “perfect” pictures. Sit this way. Wear this. Look here. Stop doing that. Hold this. Why would you want to capture them as anything other than what they are? Why would you want a picture of them in some ironed outfit they only wore once? And why only take pictures on special days at special times of the year? What about that one Tuesday at 11:12 a.m. when they were in their sister’s room telling jokes?

I feel so lucky to have these kids and these pictures of them. This is how I will remember them thirty years from now.

For the most perfectly imperfect pictures of kids, try letting them wear undershirts whilst telling you jokes from their baby sister’s crib. Or let them hold that one thing that makes them happy even if it’s not that pretty. Who cares? Their smiles will be perfect. And that’s all that matters.

Click here to see who won last week’s giveaway.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

BAM. Five things on my dresser. But, first, let’s cut to the chase. I repainted our bedroom. I really, really, REALLY wanted to go for Benjamin Moore’s anchor gray – a dark, moody navy-gray. Alas, when it came down to it, our north-facing bedroom couldn’t handle it. It just would have been too dark. I’m not scared of dark walls {I have some in my mudroom and my daughter’s nursery} but I like them in rooms that receive a fair amount of natural light to begin with.

Instead, I opted for Benjamin Moore’s half moon crest. I first saw it in Orlando’s apartment. He described it as a warm gray but in our dim Ohio room it reads much cooler. Especially on wet and dreary days like today. {I have fantasies of moving to California just for the good natural light.} HH loves it. I like it. It really is the best wall color for this room which is infamous for casting strange dingy green shadows. Half moon crest is elusive and ever-changing. I like my paint colors that way. Sometimes it’s a cool gray, sometimes a warm gray, sometimes a blue-gray. My dream bedroom would have natural light flooding in all day but this is not my dream bedroom. I’m working with what I’ve got.

Enough talk of paint. Back to five things on my dresser…

Sources: Threshold gold decorative bowl // Robert Abbey Delta Lily lamp // Threshold decorative ball // Threshold glass & acacia server // Threshold square tabletop frame

I partnered with the good people at Target to bring you this tabletop styling.

It all started with those industrial spheres. They were the literal balls that got the metaphorical ball rolling. I like decorative pieces that are sculptural. I bought the lamp per Emily’s recommendation. She is right. It has the perfect scale. I added a brass bowl to corral pens. {The plan is to convert this dresser into a workstation…stay tuned!} I planted a trio of jade plants in a dip server. A DIP SERVER! Call me crazy. It proves that, indeed, you can plant succulents in anything. On a whim, I drew a quirky little geometric piece of art and framed it up.

This little corner is the last thing I see before I fall asleep at night.

It melts me.

There are still finishing touches to put on this corner and the rest of the bedroom but it’s coming along! This weekend’s plans include hanging swing arm lamps on either side of the bed and installing hardware on the top dresser drawer so it can be used as a keyboard pull out.

This is my final post in the Threshold series. Maybe that makes some of you happy. But my honest hope for this series was to inspire you to tweak your home. Play around. Have fun. Try something new. Even if you have kids running around. Even if it’s just one corner or one table. Even if you end up not liking it and redo it. Even if you don’t buy any Threshold products.

That’s all.

This post brought to you by Threshold, a Target collection. The Threshold collection focuses on specialized design techniques including hand-painted accents and artisanal touches to make each piece unique yet affordable. What differentiates Target’s new Threshold collection is its unprecedented style coupled with its high quality and affordability. Thank you Tar-jay!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking